Comparison of Light Trapping Limits Derived Using Various Methods for Thin Film GaAs Solar Cells

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 3939-3942
Author(s):  
Nikhil Deep Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Cell Structure ◽  
Active Material ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Solar Cell Structure ◽  
Limiting Values

The paper discusses and compares the Lambertian limits for light trapping (LT) in GaAs active layer based thin film solar cells as described by different mathematical theories and expressions. The Lambertian limits for thin film GaAs solar cell provide the maximum efficiency that can be achieved through LT structures and also indicate the advantage that these structure can provide for the design of GaAs thin film solar cell structure. The purpose to discuss difference Lambertian limit expressions is to understand and predict, which limiting benchmark value is more suited for nano LT structures based GaAs active material solar cells, considering GaAs material properties. The paper also compares these calculated limiting values with different nano LT structures including photonic crystal structures based designs proposed by the author. The aim is to check how much close a particular proposed structure is to the Lambertian values, so that we can predict that which is more suitable design to get best efficiency out of the single junction GaAs material based structure. The paper discussed the three Lambertian theories including that of Yablonovitch, Green and Schuster.

Silicon Parallel Multilayer Thin Film Solar Cells

1996 ◽  
Vol 426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin A. Green ◽  
Alistair B. Sproul ◽  
Tom Puzzer ◽  
Guang Fu Zheng ◽  
Paul Basore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
Cell Structure ◽  
Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Multilayer Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cell Structure ◽  
Cell Energy

AbstractA new silicon parallel multilayer solar cell structure has recently been reported which can give high solar cell energy conversion efficiency from low quality silicon material. Advantages of this structure are described as is recent characterization work which compares the properties of grain boundaries in experimental devices to those predicted by earlier calculations.

CuInSe2 thin film solar cells prepared by low-cost electrodeposition techniques from a non-aqueous bath

RSC Advances ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (109) ◽  
pp. 89635-89643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka U. Londhe ◽  
Ashwini B. Rohom ◽  
Nandu B. Chaure
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cell Structure ◽  
Power Conversion ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell Structure ◽  
Cuinse2 Thin Film

Highly crystalline and stoichiometric CIS thin films have been electrodeposited from non-aqueous bath at temperature 130 °C. Superstrate solar cell structure (FTO/CdS/CIS/Au) exhibited 4.5% power conversion efficiency.

Absorption enhancement in a-Si thin-film solar cells based on silver nanopillar arrays

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 211-214
Author(s):  
Boyang Qu ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
Jianmin Luo ◽  
Shie Yang ◽  
Yongsheng Chen
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cell ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Absorption Enhancement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Si Thin Film ◽  
Nanopillar Arrays

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate a light-trapping structure based on Ag nanograting for amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film solar cell. Silver nanopillar arrays on indium tin oxide layer of the a-Si thin-film solar cells were designed. Design/methodology/approach The effects of the geometrical parameters such as nanopillar radius (R) and array period (P) were investigated by using the finite element simulation. Findings The optimization results show that the absorption of the solar cell with Ag nanopillar structure and anti-reflection film is enhanced up to 29.5 per cent under AM1.5 illumination in the 300- to 800-nm wavelength range compared with the reference cell. Furthermore, physical mechanisms of absorption enhancement at different wavelength range are discussed according to the electrical field amplitude distributions in the solar cells. Research limitations/implications The research is still in progress. Further studies mainly focus on the performance of solar cells with different nanograting materials. Practical implications This study provides a feasible method for light-trapping structure based on Ag nanograting for a-Si thin-film solar cell. Originality/value This study is promising for the design of a-Si thin-film solar cells with enhanced performance.

scholarly journals Coupling and Trapping of Light in Thin-Film Solar Cells Using Modulated Interface Textures

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (21) ◽  
pp. 4648
Author(s):  
Jürgen Hüpkes ◽  
Gabrielle C. E. Jost ◽  
Tsvetelina Merdzhanova ◽  
Jorj I. Owen ◽  
Thomas Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Surface Texture ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Silicon Thin Film ◽  
Tandem Solar Cells ◽  
Light Coupling ◽  
Light Management

Increasing the efficiency of solar cells relies on light management. This becomes increasingly important for thin-film technologies, but it is also relevant for poorly absorbing semiconductors like silicon. Exemplarily, the performance of a-Si:H/µc-Si:H tandem solar cells strongly depends on the texture of the front and rear contact surfaces. The rear contact interface texture usually results from the front surface texture and the subsequent absorber growth. A well-textured front contact facilitates light-coupling to the solar cell and light-trapping within the device. A variety of differently textured ZnO:Al front contacts were sputter deposited and subsequently texture etched. The optical performance of a-Si:H/µc-Si:H tandem solar cells were evaluated regarding the two effects: light-coupling and light-trapping. A connection between the front contact texture and the two optical effects is demonstrated, specifically, it is shown that both are induced by different texture properties. These findings can be transferred to any solar cell technologies, like copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) or perovskites, where light management and modifications of surface textures by subsequent film growth have to be considered. A modulated surface texture of the ZnO:Al front contact was realized using two etching steps. Improved light-coupling and light-trapping in silicon thin-film solar cells lead to 12.5% efficiency.

scholarly journals Growth and Fabrication of GaAs Thin-Film Solar Cells on a Si Substrate via Hetero Epitaxial Lift-Off

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 820
Author(s):  
Seungwan Woo ◽  
Geunhwan Ryu ◽  
Taesoo Kim ◽  
Namgi Hong ◽  
Jae-Hoon Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cell Structure ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Threading Dislocation ◽  
Si Substrate ◽  
Lift Off

We demonstrate, for the first time, GaAs thin film solar cells epitaxially grown on a Si substrate using a metal wafer bonding and epitaxial lift-off process. A relatively thin 2.1 μm GaAs buffer layer was first grown on Si as a virtual substrate, and a threading dislocation density of 1.8 × 107 cm−2 was achieved via two In0.1Ga0.9As strained insertion layers and 6× thermal cycle annealing. An inverted p-on-n GaAs solar cell structure grown on the GaAs/Si virtual substrate showed homogenous photoluminescence peak intensities throughout the 2″ wafer. We show a 10.6% efficient GaAs thin film solar cell without anti-reflection coatings and compare it to nominally identical upright structure solar cells grown on GaAs and Si. This work paves the way for large-scale and low-cost wafer-bonded III-V multi-junction solar cells.

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.

Dipolar and Quadrupolar Modes of SiO 2 /Au Nanoshell Enhanced Light Trapping in Thin Film Solar Cells

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 087306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Ming Bai ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Nuo-Fu Chen ◽  
Jian-Xi Yao ◽  
Xing-Wang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells
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