1. Fiona Beck Small Particles, Big Hopes: Absorption Enhancement in Silicon using Metallic Nanoparticles

2. Centre for Super Earth-saving Science

3. Regular Superhero Solar Energy Superheros

4. Rubbish absorption above 1000nm Absorption Spectra of Silicon % Absorption Wavelength (nm)

5. Texturing to trap light in bulk silicon cells light SEM image of textured silicon taken by Luke Johnson

6. Localised Surface Plasmons in Metal Nanoparticles -e + + + - - - - - - - -e + + + - - - - - - - E-field Incident Light Time t Time t + /2c

7. Interface effects Incident light Induced surface plasmon Light coupled into silicon in trapped modes Silver Nanoparticle Dielectric layer

8. 1) Silicon wafer, thin and shiny 2) Dielectric film deposition ~30nm Oxidation for SiO2 APCVD TiO2 Sample Fabrication: 3) Silver film evaporation ~10nm 4) Low temperature anneal ~260 degree C Nanoparticles !

9. Resonance peaks Smallest particles Biggest particles

11. Optical measurements Particles on front Particles on rear SiO2 CoatingTiO2 Coating Light source

12. Absorption Spectra for Particles on Silicon

13. 16 fold increase in light absorption for particles on TiO2 at 1150nm 5.6 times more absorption of light at 1150nm for particles on the rear of a silicon-SiO2 sample

14. Particles on TiO2Particles on SiO2 SEM Images

15. My supervisors Klaus Weber and Kylie Catchpole, currently at the Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics in the Netherlands. Luke Johnson for the TiO2 deposition and the nice SEM image and everyone who has helped me out in the labs.