• Patterson, R.
• Pillai, S.
• Kampwerth, Henner
• Green, M. A.
• Mehrvarz, H.
• Jiang, Y.

Abstract

SeriesInformation ; 28th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; 24-27 ; Abstract ; Plasmonics open up new ways to construct optically thick but physically very thin photovoltaic absorbers. Silver is the most favored plasmonic material, and has demonstrated the lowest parasitic absorption losses among other noble metals. However, the presence of many different sets of optical constants for silver in literature makes it difficult to conduct reliable theoretical analysis. Realistic predictions necessitate optical constant data sets that are more accurate, considering that even small variations can influence calculation of Surface Plasmon effectiveness. Surface tarnish layers form quickly when silver is exposed to air making it challenging to determine the optical constants from air exposed samples. Our work aims to determine a reliable set of values that can be used with confidence in predicting experimental outcomes. We measured the optical data of silver using a novel method avoiding the air exposed side that might be contaminated. Our work seeks to pinpoint accurate values by using a range of different measurement approaches.

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• surface
• silver