Journal
OPTICS EXPRESS
Volume 20, Issue 6, Pages A224-A244Publisher
OPTICAL SOC AMER
DOI: 10.1364/OE.20.00A224
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Funding
- Fondazione Cariplo [2010-0523]
- EU [264687]
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We theoretically investigate the light-trapping properties of one-and two-dimensional periodic patterns etched on the front surface of c-Si and a-Si thin film solar cells with a silver back reflector and an antireflection coating. For each active material and configuration, absorbance A and short-circuit current density J(sc) are calculated by means of rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA), for different active materials thicknesses in the range of interest of thin film solar cells and in a wide range of geometrical parameters. The results are then compared with Lambertian limits to light-trapping for the case of zero absorption and for the general case of finite absorption in the active material. With a proper optimization, patterns can give substantial absorption enhancement, especially for 2D patterns and for thinner cells. The effects of the photonic patterns on light harvesting are investigated from the optical spectra of the optimized configurations. We focus on the main physical effects of patterning, namely a reduction of reflection losses (better impedance matching conditions), diffraction of light in air or inside the cell, and coupling of incident radiation into quasi-guided optical modes of the structure, which is characteristic of photonic light-trapping. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America
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