Solar Cells Efficiency Increase Using Thin Metal Island Films

Metal nanodimension structures have multiple applications in modern technology. Noncontinuous thin island metal films of several types of metals deposited on dielectric or semiconductor surface introduce a unique behavior. In response to light exposure in certain range, the metal islands present a resonant absorption of light accompanied with a collective behavior of free electrons in these islands. In this paper, we present one of the possible ways to increase the efficiency of solar cells with metal islands imbedded in a semiconductor junction. Rough calculation was performed for a silicon solar cell and showed an increase of 17.5% in the overall efficiency of the cell.