Ultrathin silicon solar cells with enhanced photocurrents assisted by plasmonic nanostructures

Thin-film photovoltaics offers the potential for a significant cost reduction compared to traditional photovoltaics. However, the performance of thin-film solar cells is limited by poor light absorption. We have devised an ultra-thin-film silicon solar cell configuration assisted by plasmonic nanostructures. By placing a one-dimensional plasmonic nanograting on the bottom of the solar cell, the generated photocurrent for a 200 nm-thickness crystalline silicon solar cell can be enhanced by 90% in the considered wavelength range, while keeping insensitive to the incident angle. These results are paving a promising way for the realization of high-efficiency thin-film solar cells. (C) 2012 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.JNP.6.061503]