Abstract

The current Si-based photovoltaic devices require high-quality raw materials and intricate processing techniques to construct complex device structures; further improvement in efficiency and a drastic decrease in cost are thus highly desired to promote their extensive applications. With the rise of graphene, graphene based transparent conductive electrodes have attracted considerable attention due to their extraordinary properties like high optical transmittance, outstanding mechanical flexibility, and low sheet resistance. A new type of heterojunction solar cell could be fabricated by combining graphene and Si together. Evidently, the use of the graphene/Si heterojunction structure can avoid the complex fabrication process for Si p–n/p–i–n junction formation in the traditional Si solar cells, and also facilitate light absorption as well as carrier separation and transport. Therefore, graphene/Si hybrid solar cells may offer a new strategy for fabricating low cost and high-efficiency photovoltaic devices. Otherwise, new heterojunctions can be formed by combining other 2D materials (such as MoS₂) with Si, which show a fascinating performance in photodetectors.

© 2015 Optical Society of America