15{\%} Power Conversion Efficiency from a Gated Nanotube/Silicon Nanowire Array Solar Cell

Despite their enhanced light trapping ability the performance of silicon nanowire array solar cells have, been stagnant with power conversion efficiencies barely breaking 10{\%}. The problem is understood to be the consequence of a high photo-carrier recombination at the large surface area of the Si nanowire sidewalls. Here, by exploiting 1) electronic gating via an ionic liquid electrolyte to induce inversion in the n-type Si nanowires and 2) using a layer of single wall carbon nanotubes engineered to contact each nanowire tip and extract the minority carriers, we demonstrate silicon nanowire array solar cells with power conversion efficiencies of 15{\%}. Our results allow for discrimination between the two principle means of avoiding front surface recombination: surface passivation and the use of local fields. A deleterious electrochemical reaction of the silicon due to the electrolyte gating is shown to be caused by oxygen/water entrained in the ionic liquid electrolyte. While encapsulation can avoid the issue a non-encapsulation based solution is also described.