Journal
OPTICS COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 314, Issue -, Pages 41-47Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.optcom.2013.07.085
Keywords
Thin-film silicon; Solar cells; Light trapping; Photonic crystals; Self-assembly; Optimization
Categories
Funding
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative (MITEI)
- Robert Bosch LLC
- Masdar Institute of Science and Technology
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In this paper, we present our efforts on studying light trapping in thin-film silicon solar cells using photonic crystal (PC) based structures. Specifically, we propose a photonic backside texture combining periodic gratings and a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). The mechanisms of this integrated photonic design are theoretically studied and compared with conventional PCs. We experimentally fabricate the texture using lithographic and self-assembled method on thin-film single crystalline Si (c-Si) and micro-crystalline Si (mu c-Si) cells. We analyze the effects of the photonic textures on different cells and demonstrate the performance improvements. A numerical method is developed to explore the optimal multiscale textured surface and investigate light trapping limits in the wave optics regime. Using a detailed balance analysis, we show that it is possible to reach over 20% efficiency for 1.5 mu m Si cells through optimal device design and fabrication. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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