Enhancing CIGS Solar Cell Efficiency through Gold, Silver, and Aluminum Plasmonic Nanostructures

Subject Areas : Journal of Optoelectronical Nanostructures

Marzieh Akbari ¹ , Fatemeh Dabbagh Kashani ² , Seyed Mohhammad Mir Kazemi ³

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Received: 2025-05-17 Accepted : 2025-08-20 Published : 2025-11-30

Keywords: CIGS Solar Cells, Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) Method, Noble metals, Plasmonic Effect, Optical and Electrical Characterizations ,

Abstract :

Plasmonic nanostructures offer significant benefits for enhancing solar cell performance by improving light absorption, charge carrier generation, exciton separation, and reducing recombination. However, challenges such as current reduction must be addressed through careful material selection and optimization. CIGS-based solar cells, known for their cost-effectiveness and superior efficiency compared to silicon-based cells, are further improved with plasmonic nanostructures. This study investigates the impact of plasmonic effects on CIGS solar cells, showing that the efficiency depends on the size, shape, and arrangement of the nanostructures. Simulations of optical and electrical properties, including absorption curves and current-voltage characteristics, reveal that Sample 5, which combines two plasmonic nanostructure series, achieves the highest efficiency increase of 25.13%. However, when compared to solar cells with spherical (25.28%) and cubic (25.61%) plasmonic elements, a single plasmonic nanostructure in the active layer offers similar efficiencies with greater cost-effectiveness and simplified manufacturing. These findings highlight the potential of single-series plasmonic nanostructures for advancing solar technology while ensuring practical feasibility in production.

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