Encapsulated carbon nanotube-oxide-silicon solar cells with stable 10% efficiency

We report a metal-insulator-semiconductor heterojunction solar cell by depositing a carbon nanotube film onto silicon substrate, followed by acid oxidation of the Si surface to form a thin oxide layer at the junction interface. The nanotube-oxide-Si solar cells with polymer encapsulation show stable efficiencies of above 10%, owing to enhanced photon absorption, inhibited charge recombination, and reduced internal resistance. Parallel and series connections without sacrificing cell efficiencies were demonstrated. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3573829]