Silke L. Diedenhofen

Strong geometrical dependence of the absorption of light in arrays of semiconductor nanowires.

We demonstrate experimentally that arrays of base-tapered InP nanowires on top of an InP substrate form a broad band and omnidirectional absorbing medium. These characteristics are due to the specific geometry of the nanowires. Almost perfect absorption of light (higher than 97%) occurs in the system. We describe the strong optical absorption by finite-difference time-domain simulations and present the first study of the influence of the geometry of the nanowires on the enhancement of the optical absorption by arrays. Cylindrical nanowires present the highest absorption normalized to the volume fraction of the semiconductor. The absolute absorption in layers of conical nanowires is higher than that in cylindrical nanowires but requires a larger volume fraction of semiconducting material. Base-tapered nanowires, with a cylindrical top and a conical base, represent an intermediate geometry. These results set the basis for an optimized optical design of nanowire solar cells.

Large Photonic Strength of Highly Tunable Resonant Nanowire Materials

We demonstrate that highly tunable nanowire arrays with optimized diameters, volume fractions, and alignment form one of the strongest optical scattering materials to date. Using a new broad-band technique, we explore the scattering strength of the nanowires by varying systematically their diameter and alignment on the substrate. We identify strong Mie-type internal resonances of the nanowires which can be tuned over the entire visible spectrum. The tunability of nanowire materials opens up exciting new prospects for fundamental and applied research ranging from random lasers to solar cells, exploiting the extreme scattering strength, internal resonances, and preferential alignment of the nanowires. Although we have focused our investigation on gallium phosphide nanowires, the results can be universally applied to other types of group III-V, II-VI, or IV nanowires.

Nanoscale free-carrier profiling of individual semiconductor nanowires by infrared near-field nanoscopy

We report quantitative, noninvasive and nanoscale-resolved mapping of the free-carrier distribution in InP nanowires with doping modulation along the axial and radial directions, by employing infrared near-field nanoscopy. Owing to the techniques capability of subsurface probing, we provide direct experimental evidence that dopants in interior nanowire shells effectively contribute to the local free-carrier concentration. The high sensitivity of s-SNOM also allows us to directly visualize nanoscale variations in the free-carrier concentration of wires as thin as 20 nm, which we attribute to local growth defects. Our results open interesting avenues for studying local conductivity in complex nanowire heterostructures, which could be further enhanced by near-field infrared nanotomography.

Generic nano-imprint process for fabrication of nanowire arrays

A generic process has been developed to grow nearly defect-free arrays of (heterostructured) InP and GaP nanowires. Soft nano-imprint lithography has been used to pattern gold particle arrays on full 2 inch substrates. After lift-off organic residues remain on the surface, which induce the growth of additional undesired nanowires. We show that cleaning of the samples before growth with piranha solution in combination with a thermal anneal at 550 degrees C for InP and 700 degrees C for GaP results in uniform nanowire arrays with 1% variation in nanowire length, and without undesired extra nanowires. Our chemical cleaning procedure is applicable to other lithographic techniques such as e-beam lithography, and therefore represents a generic process.

Broadband and Omnidirectional Anti-reflection Coating for III/V Multi-junction Solar Cells

Graded refractive index layers reduce the reflection and increase the coupling of light into a substrate by optical impedance matching at the interfaces. Due to the optical impedance matching, reflections at the interfaces are not possible for a broad wavelength range, rendering this type of anti-reflection coating a promising candidate for III/V multi-junction solar cells. Graded refractive index layers can be modeled using a transfer-matrix method for isotropic layered media. We derive the transfer-matrix method and we show calculations of the reflection from and the transmission into an AlInP layer coated with different anti-reflection coatings. We describe a new type of anti-reflection coating based on tapered semiconductor nanowires and we show reflection and transmission measurements of those kind of anti-reflection coatings on top of different substrates.

Remote trap passivation in colloidal quantum dot bulk nano-heterojunctions and its effect in solution-processed solar cells

More-efficient charge collection and suppressed trap recombination in colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells is achieved by means of a bulk nano-heterojunction (BNH) structure, in which p-type and n-type materials are blended on the nanometer scale. The improved performance of the BNH devices, compared with that of bilayer devices, is displayed in higher photocurrents and higher open-circuit voltages (resulting from a trap passivation mechanism).

Hybrid solution-processed bulk heterojunction solar cells based on bismuth sulfide nanocrystals

High efficiency organic and hybrid solar cells create demand for novel electron acceptor materials that possess appropriate energetic band levels and bandgap for efficient solar energy harnessing. We present hybrid bulk heterojunction devices based on P3HT and bismuth sulfide nanocrystals, a semiconductor based on environmentally friendly compounds, with a power conversion efficiency of 1% and NIR sensitization at 700 nm of 30%, among the highest ever reported for P3HT.

Controlling the directional emission of light by periodic arrays of heterostructured semiconductor nanowires.

We demonstrate experimentally the directional emission of light by InAsP segments embedded in InP nanowires. The nanowires are arranged in a periodic array, forming a 2D photonic crystal slab. The directionality of the emission is interpreted in terms of the preferential decay of the photoexcited nanowires and the InAsP segments into Bloch modes of the periodic structure. By simulating the emission of arrays of nanowires with the emitting segments located at different heights, we conclude that the position of this active region strongly influences the directionality and efficiency of the emission. Our results will help to improve the design of nanowire based LEDs and single photon sources.

Determination of carrier lifetime and mobility in colloidal quantum dot films via impedance spectroscopy

Impedance Spectroscopy (IS) proves to be a powerful tool for the determination of carrier lifetime and majority carrier mobility in colloidal quantum dot films. We employ IS to determine the carrier lifetime in PbS quantum dot Schottky solar cells with Al and we verify the validity of the technique via transient photovoltage. We also present a simple approach based on an RC model that allows the determination of carrier mobility in PbS quantum dot films and we corroborate the results via comparison with space charge limited measurements. In summary, we demonstrate the potential of IS to characterize key-to-photovoltaics optoelectronic properties, carrier lifetime, and mobility, in a facile way.

Strong modification of the reflection from birefringent layers of semiconductor nanowires by nanoshells

The propagation of light in layers of vertically aligned nanowires is determined by their unique and extreme optical properties. Depending on the nanowire filling fraction and their diameter, layers of nanowires form strongly birefringent media. This large birefringence gives rise to sharp angle dependent peaks in polarized reflection. We demonstrate experimentally the tunability of the reflection by adding shells of SiO2 with thicknesses ranging from 10 nm to 30 nm around the nanowires. The strong modification of the reflection peaks renders nanowire layers as a promising candidate for sensing applications.