Metals in Photovoltaic Cells

What metals are used in solar cells?

Another important metal from the same period as cadmium and the same group as gallium that is now widely used in second generation thin-film PVs and quantum dot solar cells isindium, mainly in the form of the semiconductor copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) .

What materials are used in solar PV?

Unlike the wind power and EV sectors, the solar PV industry isn’t reliant on rare earth materials. Instead, solar cells use a range of minor metals including silicon, indium, gallium, selenium, cadmium, and tellurium.

How do metal particles affect plasmonic solar cells?

Metal particles in the order of wavelength of light (mostly in the nm regime) basically act as miniature dipoles that canscatter the incident radiation, which can then be coupled to the modes of the underlying semiconductor in plasmonic solar cell applications .

What materials are used in solar cells?

PV cells contain semiconductor materials that absorb light and transfer it to electrons that form an electric current. Silicon is still the dominant semiconductor metal used in solar cells, accounting for more than 90% of the market.

What are the different types of photovoltaic cells?

The different photovoltaic cells developed up to date can be classified into four main categories called generations (GEN), and the current market is mainly covered by the first two GEN. The 1GEN (mono or polycrystalline silicon cells and gallium arsenide) comprises well-known medium/low cost technologies that lead to moderate yields.

Are plasmonic solar cells a metal nanostructure technology?

One metal nanostructure-based technology in particular has attracted scientists from all parts of the world —plasmonic solar cells. The aim of this chapter is to identify and establish the key metal nanostructure technologies that have been prevalent in PVs.