Title

Mechanisms Of Enhanced Optical Absorption For Ultrathin Silicon Solar Microcells With An Integrated Nanostructured Backside Reflector

Keywords

light trapping; optical nanostructures; photovoltaics

Abstract

This paper investigates mechanisms of enhanced light absorption exhibited by ultrathin Si solar microcells integrated with a periodically nanostructured, semitransparent metallic reflector. This backside reflector comprises periodic nanoscale relief features formed by soft-imprint lithography with a thin (∼35 nm) coating of Au. The work shows that microcells placed in direct contact above the nanostructured reflector's surface creates Fabry-Pérot cavities, which traps impinging light inside the Si slab via the excitation of cavity modes. Experimental measurements show that the short-circuit current and efficiency values for devices incorporating this thin, semitransparent backside reflector outperform similar Si microcells integrated with a planar thick (∼300 nm) opaque mirror by ∼10-15% because of enhanced absorption. Computational modeling that is supported by experimental measurements reveal that the dominant methods of enhancement stem from a complex interplay between backside diffraction/scattering and Fabry-Pérot resonances. These same data demonstrate that plasmonic interactions contribute minimally to the optical enhancements seen. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Publication Date

5-22-2013

Publication Title

ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

Volume

5

Issue

10

Number of Pages

4239-4246

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1021/am400408g

Socpus ID

84878310008 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84878310008

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