a Prism Coupled Surface Plasma Wave-Excited Metal Insulator-Semiconductor Solar Cell.

Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor solar cells were fabricated in the laboratory. Their structures were Al -p-silicon-SiO_{rm x} -Al-MgF_2. The cells were tested to determine their current - voltage characteristic and spectral response. A prism was fixed on the surface using optical adhesive. The purpose of the prisms is to excite the surface plasma wave in the aluminum barrier film. When the surface plasma wave is excited, electron hole pairs are injected primarily into the depletion region of the semiconductor. This has the effect of making thicker aluminum films appear to be more transparent to radiation at wavelengths of interest than films used in MIS solar cells without plasma wave excitation, thus enhancing the output. Light is coupled into the cell using the method of attenuated total reflection at the adhesive-MgF _2 interface to excite the surface plasma resonance. Spectral response was tested at various angles of incidence of the monochromator beam on the cell. The short circuit current produced by the cell was higher as the angle of incidence approached the angle of peak surface plasma wave excitation. The increase in current was accompanied by a decrease in reflectivity as predicted in the theory.