First Demonstration of Radial Junction Silicon Nanowire Solar Mini-Modules Prepared by PECVD and Laser Scribing

Based on recent advancements of radial junction silicon nanowire (RJ SiNWs) solar cells, a demonstration of 5 × 5 cm
²
RJ SiNW solar mini-module is presented in this work. The SiNW devices were grown by plasma-assisted vapor-liquid-solid technique at low temperature in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition reactor. The 5 × 5 cm
²
mini-modules have been obtained using a commercial laser scribing apparatus. The laser scribing insures a monolithic integration of electrically separated cells. We have obtained a power generation of 10 mW from 5 individual cells of total active area of 8.6 cm
²
. The mini-module has an open-circuit voltage of 3.85 V. The performance was evaluated using solar simulator and short comings (high series resistance) were analyzed using a home-made electroluminescence setup.