Black silicon Schottky photodetector in sub-bandgap near-infrared regime.

Sub-bandgap near-infrared silicon (Si) photodetectors are key elements in integrated Si photonics. We demonstrate such a Si photodetector based on a black Si (b-Si)/Ag nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) Schottky junction. This photodetector synergistically employs the mechanisms of inner photoemission, light-trapping, and surface-plasmon-enhanced absorption to efficiently absorb the sub-bandgap light and generate a photocurrent.

A synergetic application of surface plasmon and field effect to improve Si solar cell performance.

We report a synergetic application of surface plasmon (SP) and field effect (FE) to improve crystalline Si solar cell performance. The SPs are supported by small-sized Ag nanoparticles with an average diameter of 36.7 nm.