Numerical Modeling of Nanostructure-Enhanced Solar Cells

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongheng Li ◽  
Ben Q. Li
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Maxwell Equations ◽  
Light Propagation ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Computational Study ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Ag Nanoparticle ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Embedded Particles

This paper presents a computational study of nanostructure-enhanced solar cells. The computer model is developed based on the FDTD solution of the Maxwell equations describing the light propagation in thin film solar cells. With the model, a combination of Ag nanoparticle arrays at the top, Ag nanoparticle embedded into absorption layer and nanograting structures at the bottom of a thin film solar cell is studied. Each nanostructure is known to be capable of enhancing the solar light absorption to a certain degree, with the effect of metal particles coming primarily from the light scattering, the embedded particles from the reflection and that of back reflector from light trapping and reflection. The preliminary data from model simulation illustrate that with an appropriate combination and arrangement of these nanostructures, an increase in both short and long wavelength range can be achieved, thereby overcoming the shorting comings of each of the nanostructures when applied alone.

New Light Management Concepts for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells

2008 ◽  
Vol 1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Stiebig ◽  
Christian Haase ◽  
Silvia Jorke ◽  
Philipp Obermeyer ◽  
Etienne Moulin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Metallic Nanoparticles ◽  
Light Propagation ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Cell Structure ◽  
Thin Film Silicon ◽  
Diffractive Element ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Light Management

AbstractAn efficient utilization of the sun spectrum is a key issue in the field of thin-film silicon solar cell technology. Therefore, different strategies for enhanced light absorption were presented in the last years. In order to achieve a better understanding of light scattering at nanotextured interfaces the optical properties of a large variety of samples were studied. The angle resolved scattering behavior was analyzed by means of a developed ray tracing model. As an alternative to randomly textured substrates, the influence of periodically textured substrates on the light propagation in solar cells was experimentally and numerically studied with respect to improved light in-coupling and light trapping. Based on a deeper understanding a new tandem cell structure with a diffractive element between the top and bottom cell was developed. Finally, the influence of metallic nanoparticles on the cell performance was studied.

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.

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.

Comprehensive light trapping study of next generation thin film solar cells

2011 ◽  
Vol 1303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhou Zhou ◽  
Jian Zhou ◽  
Xiaowei Sun ◽  
Tim Cheng ◽  
Shengqi Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Solar Spectrum ◽  
Front Surface ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Bottom Surface ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Trapping Effects

ABSTRACTLight trapping is one of the key challenges for the next generation of thin film solar cells. In this work, we have identified the distinct light trapping effects for short and long wavelength solar spectrum ranges, by investigating lighting trapping structures on both sides of Si thin film solar cells. The sub-wavelength moth-eye-like photonic front surface and multi-layer grating photonic crystal reflector on the bottom surface are studied in detail via the Finite Difference Time Domain method for its solar energy absorption characteristics. Our study reveals the drastic difference in the light trapping effects within the solar spectrum wavelength. This work may provide guidance for efficiency enhancement of next generation thin film photovoltaic cells.

Enhancement of light trapping for thin film solar cells

MRS Advances ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (13) ◽  
pp. 743-748
Author(s):  
Yasha Yi ◽  
Wei Guo ◽  
Yueheng Peng
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Solar Spectrum ◽  
Front Surface ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Bottom Surface ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Trapping Effects

ABSTRACTLight trapping is one of the key challenges for next generation thin film solar cells. In this work, we have identified the distinct light trapping effects for short and long wavelength solar spectrum range, by investigating lighting trapping structures on both sides of Si thin film solar cells. The sub-wavelength photonic front surface by wet etching and multi-layer photonic crystal reflector on the bottom surface are studied in detail for its solar energy absorption characteristics. Our study reveals the drastic difference of the light trapping effects within the solar spectrum wavelength. This work may provide guidance for the efficiency enhancementfor next generation thin film photovoltaic cells.

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
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