Chemo-emf in the silicon solar cell exposed to low-energy hydrogen atoms

Abstract

A new reactive gas-semiconductor system is experimentally found and examined for the electron-hole pairs (e-h pairs) generation in the semiconductor due to exoergicty of a surface chemical reaction. This system is “atomic hydrogen-crystalline silicon”. The p-n silicon homojunction was used to produce chemo-emf and chemicurrent in the semi- conductor system due to e-h pairs creation. The ideal geometry of the semiconductor system would require the top semiconductor layer be of a nanosized thickness since only the upper layer of the semiconductor is involved in chemical excitation. To make the beginning of a research we howere harnessed the commercial silicon solar cell fabricat- ed with the certain technological changes to have a bare semiconductor surface. A spe- cial procedure was worked out to prepare the silicon surface free of the blocking layer of silicon oxide. The chemo-emf in the open circuit up to a few mV and the short circuit chemicur- rent up to the record 700 nA were achieved that are the promising magnitudes to pave a way for direct chemical energy to electrical energy conversion by semiconductor sys- tems. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/20602