Efficiency enhancement of PEDOT:PSS/Si hybrid solar cells by using nanostructured radial junction and antireflective surface

We demonstrate the implementation of a hybrid solar cell that comprises a surface nanostructured n-type Si and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate). The Si surface before deposition of the organic layer was nanostructured by using CsCl self-assembled nanoparticles as a hard mask and dry etching to form radial junction architectures and enhance light diffusion and absorption. Apart from the textured Si surface, processing parameters such as from metal-electrode shadow ratio, spin-coating rate, and surfactant addition were properly adjusted to improve overall cell performance. Our hybrid solar cells achieve the best performance under optimized cell parameters with a power conversion efficiency of 8.84% and short-circuit current density of 30.5 mA/cm². This combined technique provides a simple, scalable, and cost-effective process for fabricating hybrid solar cells.