Silicon nanowires with an alternative plasmonic material for highly efficient light trapping

In this study, the absorption capabilities of a plasmonic funnel-shaped silicon nanowire (SiNW) solar cell is introduced and analyzed by using 3D finite difference time domain method (FDTD). The reported NW design has titanium nitride (TiN) core as an alternative plasmonic material. The different geometrical parameters of the reported design are studied to maximize the absorption and hence the ultimate efficiency. An ultimate efficiency and short-circuit current density J_sc of 48.3% and 38.98 mA/cm², respectively are obtained which are greater than the conventional Si-Funnel counterpart by 46.36%. The enhancement of the light absorption is attributed to the combination between different types of optical modes and plasmonics modes of the funnel-shaped NW and the TiN, respectively.