Ultra-thin devices offer desirable properties including lightweight flexible form factors for system integration; reduced materials for lower cost sustainable production; and intrinsic tolerance to particle radiation, making them compelling candidates for space power applications. As thickness is reduced light absorption also reduces, necessitating the use of light management approaches, such as integrated rear surface planar reflectors, random or quasi-random scattering surfaces, and nanophotonic gratings. The relative merits of these approaches and different regimes in which they might be desirable are discussed along with correlative device and simulation results for their application to ultra-thin GaAs photovoltaics.

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Louise C. Hirst, Eduardo Camarillo-Abad, Armin Barthel, and Larkin Sayre, "Scattering surfaces for light management in ultra-thin photovoltaics (Conference Presentation)," Proc. SPIE PC12416, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices XII, PC124160H (Presented at SPIE OPTO: January 31, 2023; Published: 10 March 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2655437.6321511752112.