Energy harvesting from the sunlight has been one of the widely explored research areas with the built-in-potential creation from simple pn-junction followed by charge carrier collection. Present sole aim of the photovoltaic community is to explore low-cost solar cells and systems for harvesting abundant solar energy, and also to make the future energy production secure for global prosperity with the climate-neutral energy resources.

 

In case of solar cell fabrication to achieve the goal; the approach has been either by improving power conversion efficiency or by simple fabrication process steps. For high efficiency, silicon hetero-junction has shown the promise with amorphous silicon as a carrier selective layers. Under low-cost process, recently induced crystalline silicon pn-junction by the high/low work function metal oxides got an attention as carrier-selective contact (CSC) silicon solar cells.

 

This talk will focus on silicon hetero-junction solar cells fabrication by the above mentioned two approaches. The highest power conversion efficiency from the NiOx based CSC cells with simple process steps, and also room-temperature processed CSC cells using low-cost silicon wafers. Some of the effort related to the fabrication/characterization of silicon hetero-junction cells based on amorphous silicon as carrier-selective layers, and also flexible thin silicon wafer preparation and surface passivation, for low-cost cells application.

 

 

 

Vamsi K. Komarala is a professor at Centre for Energy Studies, IIT Delhi. He received M. Sc. degree in Physics from the Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, in 1996; M. Tech. degree in Energy Science and Technology from the Jadavpur University, Kolkata, in 1999; and Ph. D. on thin-film hetero-junction solar cells from IIT Delhi, in 2004. He worked as a post-doctoral fellow in the School of Physics of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland for 3 years, and as a research associate at the Dept. of Physics, University of Arkansas, USA for 3 years on the topics; Quantum dots’ excitons and metal nanoparticles’ surface plasmons interaction, and Resonant energy transfer between excitons and plasmons for enhancing quantum dots’ photoluminescence efficiency. After this experience, he is associated with IIT Delhi since 2010. His primary interest initially was on implementation of Plasmonics and Nanophotonics concepts for enhancing solar cell performance under 3^rd generation solar cell concepts. Now, his present research interest is on silicon hetero-junction and carrier-selective contact solar cells

fabrication and characterization. He has co-authored around 55 articles in peer-reviewed international journals, and 10 papers in conference proceedings on the above-mentioned topics. He teaches Solar photovoltaic devices, and Direct energy conversion methods to inspire and also to provide knowledge/understanding for the under-/post-graduate students.