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Improved Photon Absorption in a-Si:H Solar Cells using Photonic Crystal Architectures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Rana Biswas  and
Dayu Zhou
Rana Biswas
Affiliation:
[email protected], Iowa State University, Physics & Astronomy, Micreoelctronics Res Ctr & Ames Lab, Ames, IA, 50011, United States, 515-294-6987, 515-294-0689
Dayu Zhou
Affiliation:
[email protected], Iowa State University, Microelectronics Research Center and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ames, IA, 50011, United States
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Abstract

Improved light-trapping is a major route to improving solar cell efficiencies. We design a combination of a 2-dimensional photonic crystal and a one-dimensional distributed Bragg reflector as the back reflector for a-Si:H solar cells. This configuration avoids inherent losses associated with textured back-reflectors. The photonic crystals are composed of ITO and can easily serve as a conducting back contact. We have optimized the geometry of the photonic crystal to maximize absorption using rigorous scattering matrix simulations. The photonic crystal provides strong diffraction of red and near-IR wavelengths within the absorber layer and can enhance the absorption by more than a factor of 10 relative to the case without the photonic crystal. The optical path length with the photonic crystal can improve over the limit for a random roughened scattering surface.

Keywords

photovoltaicSisimulation
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1066: Symposium A – Amorphous and Polycrystalline Thin-Film Silicon Science and Technology—2008 , 2008 , 1066-A14-04
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

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References

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