Plasmonic effects of ultra-thin Mo films on hydrogenated amorphous Si photovoltaic cells.

We report on the improvement of short circuit current (JSC), fill factor (FF), and open circuit resistance (ROC) in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) photovoltaic cells with a p-type/intrinsic/n-type structure, achieved by the addition of an ultra-thin molybdenum film between the p-type film and the transparent conductive oxide/glass substrate. For suitable conditions, improvements of ≈10% in average internal quantum efficiency and up to 5%-10% under standard illumination in JSC, FF, and ROC are observed. These are attributed to the excitation of surface plasmon polariton modes of the a-Si:H/Mo interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]