Quantum Cutting Photovoltaic Conversion Film Doped With Zinc and Ytterbium for Silicon Solar Cells

Currently, silicon solar cells (SSCs) have been the most widely used photovoltaic devices all around the world. However, the fundamental studies about SSCs are moving slowly as one of the key obstacles is the limited response to ultraviolet (UV) light. Here, we use the Yb<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{{3}+}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> doped perovskite quantum dots (PeQDs) with highly efficient quantum cutting emission to enhance the UV response of SSCs. Zn<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{{2}+}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> ions are co-doped to increase the exciton binding energy, decrease the defect density and improve the tolerance factor of PeQDs. Experimental and theoretical results show that Zn<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{{2}+}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, Yb<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{{3}+}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> co-doped CsPbCl3 PeQDs are successfully synthesized with a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 182.4%. By integrating PeQDs film with SSCs, the spectral response in the range of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$200\sim 400$ </tex-math></inline-formula> nm is largely enhanced. Importantly, the maximum photovoltaic conversion efficiency (PCE) of SSCs is increased from 18.6% to 21.2%. This study proposes a more cost-effective, convenient, and effective method for improving the PCE of SSCs, which is in line with the current industry’s application requirements and urgent problems to be solved.