Surface-Plasmon Enhanced Near-Bandgap Light Absorption in Silicon Photovoltaics

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Hu ◽  
Xiaoyuan Chen ◽  
Gang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Solar Spectrum ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Thin Film Silicon ◽  
Silicon Photovoltaics ◽  
Silicon Based

One key challenge for silicon-based solar cells is the weak absorption of long-wavelength photons near the bandgap (1.1eV) due to the indirect bandgap of silicon. A large fraction of the AM 1.5 solar spectrum falls into a regime (0.7 μm – 1.1 μm) where silicon does not absorb light well. The capture of these long-wavelength photons imposes a particular problem to the thin-film silicon solar cells. For this reason, thin-film silicon solar cells often incorporate some forms of light trapping mechanisms.

Light-trapping in Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells with a Combination of Periodic and Randomly Textured Back-reflectors

2012 ◽  
Vol 1426 ◽  
pp. 117-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sambit Pattnaik ◽  
Nayan Chakravarty ◽  
Rana Biswas ◽  
D. Slafer ◽  
Vikram Dalal
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Light Absorption ◽  
Nanoimprint Lithography ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Thin Film Silicon ◽  
Back Reflectors ◽  
Back Reflector

ABSTRACTLight trapping is essential to harvest long wavelength red and near-infrared photons in thin film silicon solar cells. Traditionally light trapping has been achieved with a randomly roughened Ag/ZnO back reflector, which scatters incoming light uniformly through all angles, and enhances currents and cell efficiencies over a flat back reflector. A new approach using periodically textured photonic-plasmonic arrays has been recently shown to be very promising for harvesting long wavelength photons, through diffraction of light and plasmonic light concentration. Here we investigate the combination of these two approaches of random scattering and plasmonic effects to increase cell performance even further. An array of periodic conical back reflectors was fabricated by nanoimprint lithography and coated with Ag. These back reflectors were systematically annealed to generate different amounts of random texture, at smaller spatial scales, superimposed on a larger scale periodic texture. nc-Si solar cells were grown on flat, periodic photonic-plasmonic substrates, and randomly roughened photonic-plasmonic substrates. There were large improvements (>20%) in the current and light absorption of the photonic-plasmonic substrates relative to flat. The additional random features introduced on the photonic-plasmonic substrates did not improve the current and light absorption further, over a large range of randomization features.

Enhanced light trapping in thin-film silicon solar cells with concave quadratic bottom gratings

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (19) ◽  
pp. 5348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Chen ◽  
Rui Wu ◽  
Hongmei Zheng ◽  
Yuanyuan Wang ◽  
Xiaopeng Yu
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Thin Film Silicon

UV micro-imprint patterning for tunable light trapping in p-i-n thin-film silicon solar cells

2015 ◽  
Vol 355 ◽  
pp. 14-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanfeng Wang ◽  
Xiaodan Zhang ◽  
Bing Han ◽  
Lisha Bai ◽  
Huixu Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Thin Film Silicon

Effective Light Trapping in Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells with Nano- and Microscale Structures on Glass Substrate

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 4978-4983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungjae Bong ◽  
Shihyun Ahn ◽  
Le Huy Tuan Anh ◽  
Sunbo Kim ◽  
Hyeongsik Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Glass Substrate ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Thin Film Silicon

scholarly journals Advanced light trapping management by diffractive interlayer for thin-film silicon solar cells

2008 ◽  
Vol 92 (18) ◽  
pp. 181102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Obermeyer ◽  
Christian Haase ◽  
Helmut Stiebig
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Thin Film Silicon

Light trapping enhancement in thin film silicon solar cells with different front and back grating periodicities

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 120501-120503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renchen Liu Renchen Liu ◽  
Zihuan Xia Zihuan Xia ◽  
Yonggang Wu Yonggang Wu ◽  
Hongfei Jiao Hongfei Jiao ◽  
Zhaoming Liang Zhaoming Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Thin Film Silicon

scholarly journals Experimental Evaluation of the Light Trapping Potential of Optical Nanostructures for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 206-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corsin Battaglia ◽  
Jordi Escarré ◽  
Karin Söderström ◽  
M. Boccard ◽  
C. Ballif
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Experimental Evaluation ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Trapping Potential ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Thin Film Silicon ◽  
Optical Nanostructures
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document