Poonam Shokeen | University of Delhi (original) (raw)
Papers by Poonam Shokeen
Journal of Nanophotonics, Oct 10, 2017
Abstract. A ZnO/Si heterojunction solar cell is studied with plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in ... more Abstract. A ZnO/Si heterojunction solar cell is studied with plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in the active layer. Two layers of silver nanoparticles are embedded in the ZnO layer. The effect of various parameters such as vertical-interparticle distance, horizontal-interparticle distance, relative dimensions of nanoparticles, and order of particle diameters are discussed in detail. Finite-difference time-domain studies suggest that particle dimensions of the top layer of silver nanoparticles should be less than the dimensions of the underneath layer of silver nanoparticles. The resulting structure acquires the benefits of each layer and improves the device performance over a broad spectrum. The dielectric separation of plasmonic layers is observed to be an important factor in favorable plasmonic response. Electric field diagrams are used to study the scattering of an incident field by proposed structure. Results are encouraging and suggest more concerted studies of multilayer plasmonic structures.
Springer proceedings in physics, Oct 21, 2016
Present work discusses the importance of substrate for desired plasmonic responses. Silver nanopa... more Present work discusses the importance of substrate for desired plasmonic responses. Silver nanoparticles are deposited on silica and zinc oxide substrate by pulsed laser deposition system. SEM, EDAX, XRD and UV-visible spectroscopy are used to study the effect of substrate on surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles . A shift in resonance wavelength is observed for two substrates with a visible change in the intensity of the surface plasmons. Nanoparticles deposited on silica substrate show sharp SPR in comparison to nanoparticles deposited on zinc oxide. Nanoparticles deposited on ZnO cover a wide absorption spectrum in comparison to nanoparticles deposited on silica substrate. This generic study can be very helpful for design considerations of various plasmonic structures for photovoltaic applications.
Materials research express, Jul 18, 2016
Particle clustering is a major concern for uniform dispersal of nanoparticles in various depositi... more Particle clustering is a major concern for uniform dispersal of nanoparticles in various deposition procedures. Well separated uniform distribution of metal nanoparticles is essential for effective coupling of surface plasmons. This work experimentally and theoretically, discusses the effect of nanoparticle clustering on the light trapping efficiency of silver nanoparticles. Pulsed laser deposition system has been used for deposition of silver nanoparticles, and substrate heating has been used to promote uniform distribution of nanoparticles. Pre-heated substrate depositions are compared with corresponding post-annealed samples. XRD, FESEM, Photoluminescence and UV-visible spectroscopy have been used to study the variations in their structural and optical properties. Mono-dispersal of silver nanoparticles for pre-heated substrates results in sharper surface plasmon resonance in comparison to post-annealed samples. Mie theory is used to estimate the particle size of the nanoparticles and findings are in accordance with quantitative analysis of FESEM images. Finite-difference time domain technique is used to discuss the effect of particle distribution on an ultrathin film silicon solar cell. Device degradation is observed as a result of clustering of silver nanoparticles. Hence, mono-dispersal of plasmonic nanostructures is important for required results and pre-heated deposition of metal nanoparticles by pulsed laser deposition can effectively solve the problem of particle clustering.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONDENSED MATTER AND APPLIED PHYSICS (ICC 2015): Proceeding of International Conference on Condensed Matter and Applied Physics, 2016
Present work discusses the stability of silver nanoparticles at different annealing temperatures.... more Present work discusses the stability of silver nanoparticles at different annealing temperatures. Air muffle furnace annealing is performed to study the thermal stability of pulsed laser deposited silver nanoparticles. Silver reacts with atmospheric oxygen to form silver oxide at annealing temperatures below 473K and thermal decomposition of silver oxide takes place at temperatures above 473K. Oxide formation results in core shrinkage of silver, which in turn affects the surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles. With increase in annealing temperature, the surface plasmon effect of nanoparticles starts to fade. SEM, XRD and UV-vis spectroscopy have been performed to analysis various structural and optical properties.
Optical Materials, Apr 1, 2017
A pulsed laser deposited SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO/Ag/TiO 2 multilayer structure is studied to enhance the li... more A pulsed laser deposited SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO/Ag/TiO 2 multilayer structure is studied to enhance the light trapping capability of thin-film solar cell. Structural and optical properties of structure are studied with scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and UVevisible spectroscopy. Proposed geometry improves the extinction spectra and quenches photoluminescence in comparison to TiO 2 /Ag and SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO geometry. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations indicate a promising effect of the proposed geometries on thin-film solar cells. Twofold enhancement in total quantum efficiency of an optimized multilayer plasmonic graded-index thin-film solar cell is observed in comparison to the pristine solar cell. Results suggest a more concerted study of multilayer plasmonic nanostructures with graded-index anti-reflection coatings to improve the performance of thin-film photovoltaic devices.
Nucleation and Atmospheric Aerosols, 2020
Plasmonics, Oct 7, 2015
This work reports the effects of film thickness and annealing temperature on pulsed laser deposit... more This work reports the effects of film thickness and annealing temperature on pulsed laser deposited silver nanofilms. Structural and optical properties of nanostructures are studied with scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis of x-ray, x-ray diffraction, and UV-visible spectroscopy. A direct relation is observed between the film thickness and dimensional range of silver nanoparticles that can be produced by annealing. With the increase in annealing temperature, formation of well-separated nanoparticles is promoted. Optical characterization of different samples shows the effective coupling of silver nanoparticles, and surface plasmon resonance is observed over a wide spectrum. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD)-simulated results illustrate shifts in the plasmon resonance wavelengths due to the combination of different nanoparticle sizes and support experimental findings. This generic study produces a wide range of plasmonic nanostructures and may be extremely useful for various applications.
Journal of Nanophotonics, Aug 23, 2016
Abstract. Reducing active layer thickness of solar cell stresses on efficient light trapping mech... more Abstract. Reducing active layer thickness of solar cell stresses on efficient light trapping mechanisms to keep the cell efficiency intact. Directional light scattering and promising refractive index of silicon nanoparticles make them encouraging scattering centers for thin-film silicon solar cells. Finite-difference time-domain simulations are used to study the optical properties of silicon nanospheres embedded in the top and bottom buffer layer of solar cells. Diameter of a silicon nanoparticle plays a crucial role in the forward and backward scattering of incident light into the cell. Silicon nanospheres outperform commonly used metallic and dielectric nanospheres and trapped the incident light over a broad spectrum. Silicon nanospheres require special attention when placed in both the buffer layers of the solar cell simultaneously, and lateral displacement of the silicon nanospheres at the top buffer layer with respect to nanospheres at the bottom buffer layer is beneficial. Lateral displacement of nanospheres provides a total quantum efficiency of 51.49% in comparison to 21.9% of the pristine cell. These exceptional scattering competencies of silicon nanospheres make them a promising candidate for photovoltaic applications. Silicon scatterers may be used with well-established fabrication techniques.
Journal of Nanophotonics, 2017
Abstract. A ZnO/Si heterojunction solar cell is studied with plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in ... more Abstract. A ZnO/Si heterojunction solar cell is studied with plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in the active layer. Two layers of silver nanoparticles are embedded in the ZnO layer. The effect of various parameters such as vertical-interparticle distance, horizontal-interparticle distance, relative dimensions of nanoparticles, and order of particle diameters are discussed in detail. Finite-difference time-domain studies suggest that particle dimensions of the top layer of silver nanoparticles should be less than the dimensions of the underneath layer of silver nanoparticles. The resulting structure acquires the benefits of each layer and improves the device performance over a broad spectrum. The dielectric separation of plasmonic layers is observed to be an important factor in favorable plasmonic response. Electric field diagrams are used to study the scattering of an incident field by proposed structure. Results are encouraging and suggest more concerted studies of multilayer plasmo...
AIP Conference Proceedings, 2020
Optical Materials, 2017
A pulsed laser deposited SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO/Ag/TiO 2 multilayer structure is studied to enhance the li... more A pulsed laser deposited SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO/Ag/TiO 2 multilayer structure is studied to enhance the light trapping capability of thin-film solar cell. Structural and optical properties of structure are studied with scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and UVevisible spectroscopy. Proposed geometry improves the extinction spectra and quenches photoluminescence in comparison to TiO 2 /Ag and SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO geometry. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations indicate a promising effect of the proposed geometries on thin-film solar cells. Twofold enhancement in total quantum efficiency of an optimized multilayer plasmonic graded-index thin-film solar cell is observed in comparison to the pristine solar cell. Results suggest a more concerted study of multilayer plasmonic nanostructures with graded-index anti-reflection coatings to improve the performance of thin-film photovoltaic devices.
Springer Proceedings in Physics, 2016
Present work discusses the importance of substrate for desired plasmonic responses. Silver nanopa... more Present work discusses the importance of substrate for desired plasmonic responses. Silver nanoparticles are deposited on silica and zinc oxide substrate by pulsed laser deposition system. SEM, EDAX, XRD and UV-visible spectroscopy are used to study the effect of substrate on surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles . A shift in resonance wavelength is observed for two substrates with a visible change in the intensity of the surface plasmons. Nanoparticles deposited on silica substrate show sharp SPR in comparison to nanoparticles deposited on zinc oxide. Nanoparticles deposited on ZnO cover a wide absorption spectrum in comparison to nanoparticles deposited on silica substrate. This generic study can be very helpful for design considerations of various plasmonic structures for photovoltaic applications.
Journal of Nanophotonics, 2016
Abstract. Reducing active layer thickness of solar cell stresses on efficient light trapping mech... more Abstract. Reducing active layer thickness of solar cell stresses on efficient light trapping mechanisms to keep the cell efficiency intact. Directional light scattering and promising refractive index of silicon nanoparticles make them encouraging scattering centers for thin-film silicon solar cells. Finite-difference time-domain simulations are used to study the optical properties of silicon nanospheres embedded in the top and bottom buffer layer of solar cells. Diameter of a silicon nanoparticle plays a crucial role in the forward and backward scattering of incident light into the cell. Silicon nanospheres outperform commonly used metallic and dielectric nanospheres and trapped the incident light over a broad spectrum. Silicon nanospheres require special attention when placed in both the buffer layers of the solar cell simultaneously, and lateral displacement of the silicon nanospheres at the top buffer layer with respect to nanospheres at the bottom buffer layer is beneficial. Lateral displacement of nanospheres provides a total quantum efficiency of 51.49% in comparison to 21.9% of the pristine cell. These exceptional scattering competencies of silicon nanospheres make them a promising candidate for photovoltaic applications. Silicon scatterers may be used with well-established fabrication techniques.
Materials Research Express, 2016
Particle clustering is a major concern for uniform dispersal of nanoparticles in various depositi... more Particle clustering is a major concern for uniform dispersal of nanoparticles in various deposition procedures. Well separated uniform distribution of metal nanoparticles is essential for effective coupling of surface plasmons. This work experimentally and theoretically, discusses the effect of nanoparticle clustering on the light trapping efficiency of silver nanoparticles. Pulsed laser deposition system has been used for deposition of silver nanoparticles, and substrate heating has been used to promote uniform distribution of nanoparticles. Pre-heated substrate depositions are compared with corresponding post-annealed samples. XRD, FESEM, Photoluminescence and UV-visible spectroscopy have been used to study the variations in their structural and optical properties. Mono-dispersal of silver nanoparticles for pre-heated substrates results in sharper surface plasmon resonance in comparison to post-annealed samples. Mie theory is used to estimate the particle size of the nanoparticles and findings are in accordance with quantitative analysis of FESEM images. Finite-difference time domain technique is used to discuss the effect of particle distribution on an ultrathin film silicon solar cell. Device degradation is observed as a result of clustering of silver nanoparticles. Hence, mono-dispersal of plasmonic nanostructures is important for required results and pre-heated deposition of metal nanoparticles by pulsed laser deposition can effectively solve the problem of particle clustering.
AIP Conference Proceedings, 2016
Present work discusses the stability of silver nanoparticles at different annealing temperatures.... more Present work discusses the stability of silver nanoparticles at different annealing temperatures. Air muffle furnace annealing is performed to study the thermal stability of pulsed laser deposited silver nanoparticles. Silver reacts with atmospheric oxygen to form silver oxide at annealing temperatures below 473K and thermal decomposition of silver oxide takes place at temperatures above 473K. Oxide formation results in core shrinkage of silver, which in turn affects the surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles. With increase in annealing temperature, the surface plasmon effect of nanoparticles starts to fade. SEM, XRD and UV-vis spectroscopy have been performed to analysis various structural and optical properties.
Journal of Nanophotonics, 2015
Journal of Nanophotonics, Oct 10, 2017
Abstract. A ZnO/Si heterojunction solar cell is studied with plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in ... more Abstract. A ZnO/Si heterojunction solar cell is studied with plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in the active layer. Two layers of silver nanoparticles are embedded in the ZnO layer. The effect of various parameters such as vertical-interparticle distance, horizontal-interparticle distance, relative dimensions of nanoparticles, and order of particle diameters are discussed in detail. Finite-difference time-domain studies suggest that particle dimensions of the top layer of silver nanoparticles should be less than the dimensions of the underneath layer of silver nanoparticles. The resulting structure acquires the benefits of each layer and improves the device performance over a broad spectrum. The dielectric separation of plasmonic layers is observed to be an important factor in favorable plasmonic response. Electric field diagrams are used to study the scattering of an incident field by proposed structure. Results are encouraging and suggest more concerted studies of multilayer plasmonic structures.
Springer proceedings in physics, Oct 21, 2016
Present work discusses the importance of substrate for desired plasmonic responses. Silver nanopa... more Present work discusses the importance of substrate for desired plasmonic responses. Silver nanoparticles are deposited on silica and zinc oxide substrate by pulsed laser deposition system. SEM, EDAX, XRD and UV-visible spectroscopy are used to study the effect of substrate on surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles . A shift in resonance wavelength is observed for two substrates with a visible change in the intensity of the surface plasmons. Nanoparticles deposited on silica substrate show sharp SPR in comparison to nanoparticles deposited on zinc oxide. Nanoparticles deposited on ZnO cover a wide absorption spectrum in comparison to nanoparticles deposited on silica substrate. This generic study can be very helpful for design considerations of various plasmonic structures for photovoltaic applications.
Materials research express, Jul 18, 2016
Particle clustering is a major concern for uniform dispersal of nanoparticles in various depositi... more Particle clustering is a major concern for uniform dispersal of nanoparticles in various deposition procedures. Well separated uniform distribution of metal nanoparticles is essential for effective coupling of surface plasmons. This work experimentally and theoretically, discusses the effect of nanoparticle clustering on the light trapping efficiency of silver nanoparticles. Pulsed laser deposition system has been used for deposition of silver nanoparticles, and substrate heating has been used to promote uniform distribution of nanoparticles. Pre-heated substrate depositions are compared with corresponding post-annealed samples. XRD, FESEM, Photoluminescence and UV-visible spectroscopy have been used to study the variations in their structural and optical properties. Mono-dispersal of silver nanoparticles for pre-heated substrates results in sharper surface plasmon resonance in comparison to post-annealed samples. Mie theory is used to estimate the particle size of the nanoparticles and findings are in accordance with quantitative analysis of FESEM images. Finite-difference time domain technique is used to discuss the effect of particle distribution on an ultrathin film silicon solar cell. Device degradation is observed as a result of clustering of silver nanoparticles. Hence, mono-dispersal of plasmonic nanostructures is important for required results and pre-heated deposition of metal nanoparticles by pulsed laser deposition can effectively solve the problem of particle clustering.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONDENSED MATTER AND APPLIED PHYSICS (ICC 2015): Proceeding of International Conference on Condensed Matter and Applied Physics, 2016
Present work discusses the stability of silver nanoparticles at different annealing temperatures.... more Present work discusses the stability of silver nanoparticles at different annealing temperatures. Air muffle furnace annealing is performed to study the thermal stability of pulsed laser deposited silver nanoparticles. Silver reacts with atmospheric oxygen to form silver oxide at annealing temperatures below 473K and thermal decomposition of silver oxide takes place at temperatures above 473K. Oxide formation results in core shrinkage of silver, which in turn affects the surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles. With increase in annealing temperature, the surface plasmon effect of nanoparticles starts to fade. SEM, XRD and UV-vis spectroscopy have been performed to analysis various structural and optical properties.
Optical Materials, Apr 1, 2017
A pulsed laser deposited SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO/Ag/TiO 2 multilayer structure is studied to enhance the li... more A pulsed laser deposited SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO/Ag/TiO 2 multilayer structure is studied to enhance the light trapping capability of thin-film solar cell. Structural and optical properties of structure are studied with scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and UVevisible spectroscopy. Proposed geometry improves the extinction spectra and quenches photoluminescence in comparison to TiO 2 /Ag and SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO geometry. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations indicate a promising effect of the proposed geometries on thin-film solar cells. Twofold enhancement in total quantum efficiency of an optimized multilayer plasmonic graded-index thin-film solar cell is observed in comparison to the pristine solar cell. Results suggest a more concerted study of multilayer plasmonic nanostructures with graded-index anti-reflection coatings to improve the performance of thin-film photovoltaic devices.
Nucleation and Atmospheric Aerosols, 2020
Plasmonics, Oct 7, 2015
This work reports the effects of film thickness and annealing temperature on pulsed laser deposit... more This work reports the effects of film thickness and annealing temperature on pulsed laser deposited silver nanofilms. Structural and optical properties of nanostructures are studied with scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis of x-ray, x-ray diffraction, and UV-visible spectroscopy. A direct relation is observed between the film thickness and dimensional range of silver nanoparticles that can be produced by annealing. With the increase in annealing temperature, formation of well-separated nanoparticles is promoted. Optical characterization of different samples shows the effective coupling of silver nanoparticles, and surface plasmon resonance is observed over a wide spectrum. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD)-simulated results illustrate shifts in the plasmon resonance wavelengths due to the combination of different nanoparticle sizes and support experimental findings. This generic study produces a wide range of plasmonic nanostructures and may be extremely useful for various applications.
Journal of Nanophotonics, Aug 23, 2016
Abstract. Reducing active layer thickness of solar cell stresses on efficient light trapping mech... more Abstract. Reducing active layer thickness of solar cell stresses on efficient light trapping mechanisms to keep the cell efficiency intact. Directional light scattering and promising refractive index of silicon nanoparticles make them encouraging scattering centers for thin-film silicon solar cells. Finite-difference time-domain simulations are used to study the optical properties of silicon nanospheres embedded in the top and bottom buffer layer of solar cells. Diameter of a silicon nanoparticle plays a crucial role in the forward and backward scattering of incident light into the cell. Silicon nanospheres outperform commonly used metallic and dielectric nanospheres and trapped the incident light over a broad spectrum. Silicon nanospheres require special attention when placed in both the buffer layers of the solar cell simultaneously, and lateral displacement of the silicon nanospheres at the top buffer layer with respect to nanospheres at the bottom buffer layer is beneficial. Lateral displacement of nanospheres provides a total quantum efficiency of 51.49% in comparison to 21.9% of the pristine cell. These exceptional scattering competencies of silicon nanospheres make them a promising candidate for photovoltaic applications. Silicon scatterers may be used with well-established fabrication techniques.
Journal of Nanophotonics, 2017
Abstract. A ZnO/Si heterojunction solar cell is studied with plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in ... more Abstract. A ZnO/Si heterojunction solar cell is studied with plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in the active layer. Two layers of silver nanoparticles are embedded in the ZnO layer. The effect of various parameters such as vertical-interparticle distance, horizontal-interparticle distance, relative dimensions of nanoparticles, and order of particle diameters are discussed in detail. Finite-difference time-domain studies suggest that particle dimensions of the top layer of silver nanoparticles should be less than the dimensions of the underneath layer of silver nanoparticles. The resulting structure acquires the benefits of each layer and improves the device performance over a broad spectrum. The dielectric separation of plasmonic layers is observed to be an important factor in favorable plasmonic response. Electric field diagrams are used to study the scattering of an incident field by proposed structure. Results are encouraging and suggest more concerted studies of multilayer plasmo...
AIP Conference Proceedings, 2020
Optical Materials, 2017
A pulsed laser deposited SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO/Ag/TiO 2 multilayer structure is studied to enhance the li... more A pulsed laser deposited SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO/Ag/TiO 2 multilayer structure is studied to enhance the light trapping capability of thin-film solar cell. Structural and optical properties of structure are studied with scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and UVevisible spectroscopy. Proposed geometry improves the extinction spectra and quenches photoluminescence in comparison to TiO 2 /Ag and SiO 2 /Ag/ZnO geometry. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations indicate a promising effect of the proposed geometries on thin-film solar cells. Twofold enhancement in total quantum efficiency of an optimized multilayer plasmonic graded-index thin-film solar cell is observed in comparison to the pristine solar cell. Results suggest a more concerted study of multilayer plasmonic nanostructures with graded-index anti-reflection coatings to improve the performance of thin-film photovoltaic devices.
Springer Proceedings in Physics, 2016
Present work discusses the importance of substrate for desired plasmonic responses. Silver nanopa... more Present work discusses the importance of substrate for desired plasmonic responses. Silver nanoparticles are deposited on silica and zinc oxide substrate by pulsed laser deposition system. SEM, EDAX, XRD and UV-visible spectroscopy are used to study the effect of substrate on surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles . A shift in resonance wavelength is observed for two substrates with a visible change in the intensity of the surface plasmons. Nanoparticles deposited on silica substrate show sharp SPR in comparison to nanoparticles deposited on zinc oxide. Nanoparticles deposited on ZnO cover a wide absorption spectrum in comparison to nanoparticles deposited on silica substrate. This generic study can be very helpful for design considerations of various plasmonic structures for photovoltaic applications.
Journal of Nanophotonics, 2016
Abstract. Reducing active layer thickness of solar cell stresses on efficient light trapping mech... more Abstract. Reducing active layer thickness of solar cell stresses on efficient light trapping mechanisms to keep the cell efficiency intact. Directional light scattering and promising refractive index of silicon nanoparticles make them encouraging scattering centers for thin-film silicon solar cells. Finite-difference time-domain simulations are used to study the optical properties of silicon nanospheres embedded in the top and bottom buffer layer of solar cells. Diameter of a silicon nanoparticle plays a crucial role in the forward and backward scattering of incident light into the cell. Silicon nanospheres outperform commonly used metallic and dielectric nanospheres and trapped the incident light over a broad spectrum. Silicon nanospheres require special attention when placed in both the buffer layers of the solar cell simultaneously, and lateral displacement of the silicon nanospheres at the top buffer layer with respect to nanospheres at the bottom buffer layer is beneficial. Lateral displacement of nanospheres provides a total quantum efficiency of 51.49% in comparison to 21.9% of the pristine cell. These exceptional scattering competencies of silicon nanospheres make them a promising candidate for photovoltaic applications. Silicon scatterers may be used with well-established fabrication techniques.
Materials Research Express, 2016
Particle clustering is a major concern for uniform dispersal of nanoparticles in various depositi... more Particle clustering is a major concern for uniform dispersal of nanoparticles in various deposition procedures. Well separated uniform distribution of metal nanoparticles is essential for effective coupling of surface plasmons. This work experimentally and theoretically, discusses the effect of nanoparticle clustering on the light trapping efficiency of silver nanoparticles. Pulsed laser deposition system has been used for deposition of silver nanoparticles, and substrate heating has been used to promote uniform distribution of nanoparticles. Pre-heated substrate depositions are compared with corresponding post-annealed samples. XRD, FESEM, Photoluminescence and UV-visible spectroscopy have been used to study the variations in their structural and optical properties. Mono-dispersal of silver nanoparticles for pre-heated substrates results in sharper surface plasmon resonance in comparison to post-annealed samples. Mie theory is used to estimate the particle size of the nanoparticles and findings are in accordance with quantitative analysis of FESEM images. Finite-difference time domain technique is used to discuss the effect of particle distribution on an ultrathin film silicon solar cell. Device degradation is observed as a result of clustering of silver nanoparticles. Hence, mono-dispersal of plasmonic nanostructures is important for required results and pre-heated deposition of metal nanoparticles by pulsed laser deposition can effectively solve the problem of particle clustering.
AIP Conference Proceedings, 2016
Present work discusses the stability of silver nanoparticles at different annealing temperatures.... more Present work discusses the stability of silver nanoparticles at different annealing temperatures. Air muffle furnace annealing is performed to study the thermal stability of pulsed laser deposited silver nanoparticles. Silver reacts with atmospheric oxygen to form silver oxide at annealing temperatures below 473K and thermal decomposition of silver oxide takes place at temperatures above 473K. Oxide formation results in core shrinkage of silver, which in turn affects the surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles. With increase in annealing temperature, the surface plasmon effect of nanoparticles starts to fade. SEM, XRD and UV-vis spectroscopy have been performed to analysis various structural and optical properties.
Journal of Nanophotonics, 2015