The NASCEnT Project

We present an overview of the project NASCEnT and the first results we were able to achieve after one year of project duration. The overall objective of the project is to develop new nano-materials with new production technologies and to fabricate silicon quantum dot (Si QD) materials for all-silicon tandem solar cells to achieve increased efficiencies. The understanding of electrical transport and recombination mechanisms in these newly developed nano-materials will enable us to design novel solar cell structures that help to overcome the efficiency limits of conventional solar cell concepts. So far we developed simple device structures and process sequences for both material systems (Si QDs in silicon oxide and silicon carbide) and tested a pin solar cell structure. Another objective of the project is to ensure the compatibility of the newly developed technologies with high-throughput processing leading to further cost-reduction. Within the scope of this project the novel concept of band gap-tuneable quantum dot superlattices is to be exploited in combination with a wafer-based high efficiency silicon solar cell as well as with a thin-film solar cell structure. The outcome of the project will be significant progress in solar cell evolution and will lead to higher efficiencies for solar cells and to ongoing cost-reductions from both a short-term and a long-term perspective.