Characteristics of silicon nanocrystals for photovoltaic applications

Over the last decade the progress in amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) for photovoltaic applications received significant interest in science and technology. Advances in the understanding of these novel materials and their properties are growing rapidly. In order to realise nc-Si in the solar cell, a thicker intrinsic layer is required. Due to the indirect band gap in the crystallites, the absorption coefficients of nc-Si are much lower. In this work we have used electrochemical etching techniques to produce silicon nanocrystals of the sizes 3–5?nm. Viable drop cast deposition of Si nanocrystals to increase the thickness without compromising the material properties was investigated by atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy, photoemission spectroscopy and optical absorption methods.