Efficiency Improvement of MEMS-based Solar Cells by Optimizing the Structure and Dimensions of Piezoelectric-based Vertical Nanowires

The global energy crisis and environmental challenges have drawn increasing attention from researchers toward the development of renewable energy technologies, particularly solar energy. Among the emerging technologies in this field, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) have gained considerable interest in recent years due to the relatively low efficiency of conventional photovoltaic modules. MEMS-based technologies offer a wide range of applications, including light control, thermal management, and enhancement of optical properties. Another technology that has recently attracted attention in solar energy research is piezoelectric technology. The integration of piezoelectric materials enables the generation of electrical energy from mechanical stresses induced by temperature differences across distinct surfaces, thereby enhancing the energy output and overall efficiency of solar cells. This article describes the structure of a hybrid solar cell based on MEMS technology, the use of vertical nanowires, and the piezoelectric properties of materials. It can be reached to higher efficiency by choosing suitable materials and changing some structural parameters. The proposed structure consists of a two-layer triangular cantilever (aluminum and silicon oxide). The piezoelectric layer is made arranging a different structure of nanowires and increasing the area covered by nanowires. Despite previous works present only one structure, this paper tries to present and compare different structures for more flexible structure selection. The simulation results using COMSOL software, show improved performance compared to similar researches. Based on the results, using the proposed structure, a variable voltage with a maximum value of 1.15 volts and the best efficiency of 46.11% (in a special structure) is obtained.