The Bridge - Issue 2, 2021 - 27

Feature
A Review of Schottky Junction Solar Cells
By Amirhossein Ghods 1, Chuanle Zhou 1
, and Ian T. Ferguson 1,2
This paper reviews recent advances in development
of high efficiency single and multi-layer p-n junction
and Schottky junction solar cells. The barrier formed at
the interface of a thin conducting film, with a relatively
high work function, and a semiconductor layer, leads
to formation of a depletion region. The electric field
at the depletion region results in separation of photogenerated
charge carriers and a current flow towards
the terminals of the solar cell. The simple and costeffective
fabrication process for metal-semiconductor
Schottky solar cells make them suitable for use in
large-scale photovoltaic devices, and potentially for
commercial applications. However, the performance
of these devices can be degraded due to a high
leakage current and shunt conductance across the
metal-semiconductor, which notably reduces their
built-in voltage and ultimately their efficiency in
comparison to traditional p-n junction solar cells.
The remainder of this paper presents the recent
advances in improving the performance of Schottky
junction solar cells are reviewed.
I. A Roadmap to Address Global Warming
Renewable energy sources have always received much
attention due to their " green " nature, in which they
can generate electrical or mechanical power without
emitting greenhouse gases. Moreover, the reduction in
natural fossil fuel resources has increased the necessity
for finding new alternatives to the traditional nonrenewable
energy sources. Based on the estimates
from U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), as
of 2019, about 11% of the United States and 26% of
the global energy consumption is being supplied by the
renewable sources [2].
Figure 1. Efforts needed by different international entities to reduce the total
greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in the next decade, in order to limit the rise
of global temperature below 2ºC [1].
HKN.ORG
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https://hkn.ieee.org/ https://hkn.ieee.org/
The Bridge - Issue 2, 2021

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