Toward high performance nanoscale optoelectronic devices: super solar energy harvesting in single standing core-shell nanowire

Single nanowire solar cells show great promise for next-generation photovoltaics and for powering nanoscale devices. Here, we present a detailed study of light absorption in a single standing semiconductor-dielectric core-shell nanowire (CSNW). We find that the CSNW structure can not only concentrate the incident light into the structure, but also confine most of the concentrated light to the semiconductor core region, which boosts remarkably the light absorption cross-section of the semiconductor core. The CSNW can support multiple higher-order HE modes, as well as Fabry-Parot (F-P) resonance, compared to the bare nanowire (BNW). Overlapping of the adjacent higher-order HE modes results in broadband light absorption enhancement in the solar radiation spectrum. Results based on detailed balance analysis demonstrate that the super light concentration of the single CSNW gives rise to higher short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage, and thus higher apparent power conversion efficiency (3644.2%), which goes far beyond that of the BNW and the Shockley-Queisser limit that restricts the performance of a planar counterparts. Our study shows that the single CSNW can be a promising platform for construction of high performance nanoscale photodetectors, nanoelectronic power sources, super miniature cells, and diverse integrated nanosystems. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America