Surface plasmon enhanced intermediate band based quantum dots solar cell

Surface plasmon enhancement effect is investigated in InAs/GaAs quantum dots solar cell. A nontrivial enhancement was observed in the photocurrent, quantum efficiency, and the spectral response of the solar cell. The surface plasmon was generated in gold or silver nanoparticles synthesized by a chemical reduction method. The coupling of the metallic nanoparticles to the surface of the solar cell was achieved by utilizing dithiol ligands in conjunction with thermal annealing process. The enhancement was observed in the entire spectral range covered by the solar cell (visible and near infrared spectral regions). This enhancement is attributed to photon scattering and trapping by the surface plasmon generated in the metallic nanoparticles. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.