Performance Enhancement of Thin Film Solar Cell Using Swastika-Shaped Plasmonic Nanoantenna

An efficient structure of thin film solar cell (TFSC) is designed and investigated using a plasmonic nanoantenna for improving the performance of the solar cell. The proposed design is formed as a shape of Swastika, an ancient geometrical figure, designed by bending the conventional dipole antenna up to optimal lengths. The designed antenna is positioned on the top of the absorber layer which is made up with amorphous silicon and is topped with an anti-reflection layer of Indium Tin Oxide. Due to Swastika shape, the structure equally responds to the different polarized waves and becomes polarization-insensitive and thus can significantly enhance the performance of the thin-film solar cells. The new design confines the electric field in a larger area. This confinement is due to the presence of additional feed gaps produced by bending the conventional dipole antenna, increasing the absorption. The simulation results show that the design provides an absorption enhancement of 99.2% in the absorber layer.

Automated summary

In this study, an efficient structure of thin film solar cell (TFSC) was designed and investigated using a plasmonic nanoantenna to improve solar cell performance. The proposed design, in the shape of a Swastika, is formed by bending a conventional dipole antenna to optimal lengths. The designed antenna is positioned on top of the absorber layer made of amorphous silicon, and an anti-reflection layer of Indium Tin Oxide is added. The Swastika-shaped structure enables equal response to different polarized waves, making it polarization-insensitive and significantly enhancing the performance of thin-film solar cells. The design also increases absorption by confining the electric field in a larger area with additional feed gaps produced by bending the dipole antenna. Simulation results show a 99.2% absorption enhancement in the absorber layer.