Radial Junction Silicon Nanowire Solar Mini-Modules Grown on FTO/Glass Substrates

In this work, we have demonstrated the radial junction silicon nanowire (RJ SiNW) solar mini-modules on 5×5 cm2 fluorine doped tin oxide(FTO)/soda-lime glass (SLG) substrates. The deposition of RJ SiNWs was performed in PECVD reactor using plasma-assisted VLS technique, with the assistance of laser scribing to ensure the monolithic integration of RJ SiNW solar cells on the same substrate. We have fabricated 3 batches of these solar mini-modules with printed top grid Ag contacts to improve the collection of carriers and the energy conversion efficiency (η) of these devices. With proper improvement in each batch after addressing the challenges we have faced, such as high resistive losses, we have obtained a high Voc of 5.52 V, Isc of 12.46 mA and FF of 63.56 %, leading to η of 4.37 % with the power generation of about 44 mW.