Abstract: The scattering from metal nanoparticles near their localized plasmon resonance is a promising way of increasing the light absorption in thin-film solar cells. Enhancements in photocurrent have been observed for a wide range of semiconductors and solar cell configurations. We review experimental and theoretical progress that has been made in recent years, describe the basic mechanisms at work, and provide an outlook on future prospects in this area. References and links 1. J. Müller, B. Rech, J. Springer, and M. Vanecek, "TCO and light trapping in silicon thin film solar cells," Solar Energy 77, 917-930 (2004). 2. J. Meier, S. Dubail, S. Golay, U. Kroll, S. Faÿ, E. Vallat-Sauvain, L. Feitknecht, J. Dubail, and A. Shah, "Microcrystalline silicon and the impact on micromorph tandem solar cells," Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 74, 457-467 (2002). 3. S. Nie and R. Emory, "Probing single molecules and single nanoparticles by surface-enhanced Raman scattering " Science 275, 1102 (1997). 4. M. Moskovits, "Surface-enhanced spectroscopy," Rev. Mod. Phys. 57, 783 (1985). 5. S. A. Maier, M. L. Brongersma, P. G. Kik, S. Meltzer, A. A. G. Requicha, and H. A. Atwater, "Plasmonics - A route to nanoscale optical devices," Adv. Mat. 13, 1501 (2001). 6. X. D. Hoa, A. G. Kirk, and M. Tabrizian, "Towards integrated and sensitive surface plasmon resonance biosensors: A review of recent progress," Biosens. Bioelectron. 23, 151-160 (2007). 7. H. R. Stuart and D. G. Hall, "Island size effects in nanoparticle-enhanced photodetectors " Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 3815 (1998). 8. D. M. Schaadt, B. Feng, and E. T. Yu, "Enhanced semiconductor optical absorption via surface plasmon excitation in metal nanoparticles," Appl. Phys. Lett. 86, 063106 (2005). 9. D. Derkacs, S. H. Lim, P. Matheu, W. Mar, and E. T. Yu, "Improved performance of amorphous silicon solar cells via scattering from surface plasmon polaritons in nearby metallic nanoparticles," Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 093103 (2006). 10. S. Pillai, K. R. Catchpole, T. Trupke, and M. A. Green, "Surface plasmon enhanced silicon solar cells," J. Appl. Phys. 101, 093105 (2007).
