Improvement of a Si solar cell efficiency using pure and Fe3+ doped PVA films

Abstract One of the most important key driving the economic viability of solar cells is the high efficiency. This research focuses on the enhancement of commercial Si solar cell performance by deposing a pure and Fe3+ doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) layer on the top of the Si wafer of the considered cells. The use of such polymer to improve solar cells efficiency is actually a first. The authors will rely on the optical characteristics of the pure and doped PVA films including absorption and emission properties to justify the effect on Si cells. Commercial monocrystalline silicon solar cells of 15 cm2 (0.49 V/460 mA) are used in this work. Films of almost 80 μm of the ferric polymer are deposed on the cells. Films with the same thickness are characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescent emission of the films is then investigated. The electrical properties of the cells with and without the organometallic layer are evaluated. It will be deduced an important improvement of all electrical parameters, including short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, fill factor and spatially the conversion efficiency by almost 3%.