Absorption enhancement in thin-film silicon solar cells by two-dimensional periodic nanopatterns

Shaomin Wu; Wei Wang; Kitt C. Reinhardt; Yalin Lu; Shaochen Chen

doi:10.1117/1.3490295

1 August 2010 Absorption enhancement in thin-film silicon solar cells by two-dimensional periodic nanopatterns

Shaomin Wu, Wei Wang, Kitt C. Reinhardt, Yalin Lu, Shaochen Chen

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Nanophotonics, Vol. 4, Issue 1, 043515 (August 2010). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.3490295

Abstract

A major problem of current silicon thin film solar cells lies in low carrier collection efficiency due to short carrier diffusion length. Instead of improving the collection efficiency in a relatively thick solar cell, increasing light absorption while still keeping the active layer thin is an alternative solution. Absorption enhancement in a thin film Si solar cell by incorporating a two-dimensional periodic metallic nanopattern was investigated using three-dimensional finite element analysis. By studying the enhancement effect brought by different materials, dimensions, coverage, and dielectric environments of the metal nanopattern, we found that absorption enhancement occurs at wavelength range outside surface plasmons resonance of the nanostructures. The exploitation of the nanostructures also enhances the Fabry-Perot resonance in the active layer. It plays an important role in optimizing the absorption of the solar cell.

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Shaomin Wu, Wei Wang, Kitt C. Reinhardt, Yalin Lu, and Shaochen Chen "Absorption enhancement in thin-film silicon solar cells by two-dimensional periodic nanopatterns," Journal of Nanophotonics 4(1), 043515 (1 August 2010). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.3490295

Published: 1 August 2010

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