Method to determine the optimal silicon nanowire length for photovoltaic devices

The length of the silicon nanowire (SiNW) is a key parameter in photovoltaic devices, as it dramatically decides the light-harvesting and carrier recombination. Here, we develop a method to determine the optimal SiNW length for photovoltaic devices, by comparing the light-harvesting efficiency of SiNWs with various lengths. The light-harvesting efficiency is measured by the light intensity in the SiNW, and the fraction of the length with high light intensity in its whole length. Under these criteria, we find that the optimal SiNW length is around 3 mu m. This method is helpful in further optimization and application of SiNW-based solar cells. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.