Enhanced performance of InGaN thin-film solar cells containing plasmonic and dielectric nanostructures

Uttam K. Kumawat; Kamal Kumar; Pankaj Das; Kaleem Ahmed; Priyanka Bhardwaj; Anuj Dhawan

doi:10.1117/12.2515405

27 February 2019 Enhanced performance of InGaN thin-film solar cells containing plasmonic and dielectric nanostructures

Uttam K. Kumawat, Kamal Kumar, Pankaj Das , Kaleem Ahmed, Priyanka Bhardwaj, Anuj Dhawan

Proceedings Volume 10913, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices VIII; 109131P (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2515405
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2019, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

We present Indium-rich InGaN thin-film solar cells containing plasmonic and dielectric nanostructures such as Ag and ITO nanopillars. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations were carried out for solar cells containing these nanostructures on the back side and on the front side of the solar cells, and an improvement in the performance of the solar cells was compared for the different geometries and sizes of these nanostructures. In order to develop highefficiency InGaN solar cells, the indium content in the InGaN active layer needs to be increased in order to cover the large solar spectral range. Recently, several reports have demonstrated the growth of single-crystalline Indium-rich InGaN alloys without phase separation by controlling the growth temperature and the pressure. Our FDTD simulation results demonstrate that the Ag nanostructures on the back side of the solar cell lead to an enhanced surface plasmonbased scattering mostly for longer wavelengths of light including band edge of active material, while the ITO nanostructures on the front side lead to enhanced scattering of a middle wavelength range from 450 nm to 700 nm. Hence, a combination of Ag and ITO nanostructures leads to a significant broadband absorption enhancement in the active-medium of the solar cells which in turn leads to a significant enhancement (~ 25 %) in the short circuit current density (J_sc) of these solar cells.

Citation Download Citation

Uttam K. Kumawat, Kamal Kumar, Pankaj Das , Kaleem Ahmed, Priyanka Bhardwaj, and Anuj Dhawan "Enhanced performance of InGaN thin-film solar cells containing plasmonic and dielectric nanostructures", Proc. SPIE 10913, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices VIII, 109131P (27 February 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2515405

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available