Efficiency enhancement in Si solar cells by textured photonic crystal back reflector

2006 ◽  
Vol 89 (11) ◽  
pp. 111111 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Zeng ◽  
Y. Yi ◽  
C. Hong ◽  
J. Liu ◽  
N. Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Photonic Crystal ◽  
Efficiency Enhancement ◽  
Si Solar Cells ◽  
Back Reflector

Demonstration of enhanced absorption in thin film Si solar cells with textured photonic crystal back reflector

2008 ◽  
Vol 93 (22) ◽  
pp. 221105 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Zeng ◽  
P. Bermel ◽  
Y. Yi ◽  
B. A. Alamariu ◽  
K. A. Broderick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Photonic Crystal ◽  
Enhanced Absorption ◽  
Si Solar Cells ◽  
Back Reflector

New Solar Cells with Novel Light Trapping via Textured Photonic Crystal Back Reflector

2005 ◽  
Vol 891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lirong Zeng ◽  
Yasha Yi ◽  
Ching-yin Hong ◽  
Bernard A. Alamariu ◽  
Jifeng Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Photonic Crystal ◽  
Path Length ◽  
Minority Carrier ◽  
Diffusion Length ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Optical Path Length ◽  
Minority Carrier Diffusion Length ◽  
Si Solar Cells ◽  
Back Reflector

ABSTRACTWe have successfully developed a new light-trapping scheme for solar cells that can enhance the optical path length by more than 104 times using a textured photonic crystal structure as a backside reflector. Top-contacted crystalline Si solar cells integrated with the new back reflector were designed, fabricated and characterized. Both external quantum efficiency and power conversion efficiency of the cells have shown significant improvement due to the path length enhancement furnished by the new back reflector despite of the 675 um thick wafers and relatively short minority carrier diffusion length.

Silver nanoparticles from a gas aggregation nanoparticle source for plasmonic efficiency enhancement in a-Si solar cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 045012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarita Marom ◽  
Monique Dorresteijn ◽  
Ritika Modi ◽  
Alessandro Podestà ◽  
Marcel Di Vece
Keyword(s):  
Silver Nanoparticles ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Efficiency Enhancement ◽  
Si Solar Cells

Fabrication of Photonic Crystal based Back Reflectors for Light Management and Enhanced Absorption in Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells

2009 ◽  
Vol 1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Curtin ◽  
Rana Biswas ◽  
Vikram Dalal
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Photonic Crystal ◽  
Steel Substrate ◽  
Back Surface ◽  
Enhanced Absorption ◽  
Reference Device ◽  
Back Reflectors ◽  
Light Management ◽  
Back Reflector ◽  
Microscopy Images

AbstractPhotonic crystal based back-reflectors are an attractive solution for light management and enhancing optical absorption in thin film solar cells, without undesirable losses. We have fabricated prototype photonic crystal back-reflectors using photolithographic methods and reactive-ion etching. The photonic crystal back-reflector has a triangular lattice symmetry, a thickness of 250 nm, and a pitch of 765 nm. Scanning electron microscopy images demonstrate high quality long range periodicity. An a-Si:H solar cell device was grown on this back-reflector using standard PECVD techniques. Measurements demonstrate strong diffraction of light and high diffuse reflectance by the photonic crystal back-reflector. The photonic crystal back-reflector increases the average photon collection by ˜9% in terms of normalized external quantum efficiency, relative to a reference device on a stainless steel substrate with an Ag coated back surface.

Effects of One-Dimensional Photonic Crystal on Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells

2013 ◽  
Vol 827 ◽  
pp. 49-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Wang ◽  
Hai Na Mo ◽  
Zi Qiao Lou ◽  
Ke Meng Yang ◽  
Yue Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Refractive Index ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Photonic Crystal ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Si Solar Cells ◽  
Refractive Index Difference

We have designed lateral contact thin film silicon-based solar cells with and without one-dimensional photonic crystals as back surface field layer. The photonic crystal comprises a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) for trapping the light. Simulations demonstrate that energy conversion efficiency and short circuit current ISCfor c-Si solar cells with the photonic crystal structure are increased to 21.11% and 27.0 mA, respectively, from 18.33% and 22.8mA of the one without photonic crystal. In addition, the effects of DBRs consisting of different materials are investigated in our simulations. When the refractive index difference between sub-layers of the DBR is larger, the forbidden band width is broader, the reflectance of the DBR is higher, and more photons are reflected and trapped into the active region, then the absorption efficiency and the energy conversion efficiency of the solar cell are both increased. The bigger the refractive index difference of the DBRs sub-layers is, the broader the forbidden band width is. In addition, a-Si solar cells with and without DBR are also discussed.

Optimization of Textured Photonic Crystal Backside Reflector for Si Thin Film Solar Cells

2006 ◽  
Vol 974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lirong Zeng ◽  
Peter Bermel ◽  
Yasha Yi ◽  
Ning-ning Feng ◽  
Bernard A. Alamariu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Photonic Crystal ◽  
Bragg Reflector ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Etch Depth ◽  
Optimized Design ◽  
Efficiency Enhancement ◽  
Distributed Bragg Reflector ◽  
Si Thin Film

ABSTRACTA new backside reflector, textured photonic crystal, is introduced into Si thin film solar cells. Scattering matrix method is used to systematically optimize all the parameters of the two components of the backside reflector, grating and distributed Bragg reflector, to achieve the highest power conversion efficiency for a given solar cell thickness. Experimentally, Si-on-insulator solar cells are being fabricated to verify the tremendous efficiency enhancement and optimal design. It is found that while the optimal period and etch depth of the grating, the Bragg wavelength of the distributed Bragg reflector, as well as the antireflection coating thickness all decrease as the cell becomes thinner, the optimum duty cycle of the grating remains almost constant at 0.5. For a 2 μm thick cell, the relative efficiency enhancement can be as high as 52% using the optimized design.

A regular rippled pattern formed by the molecular self-organization of polyvinylpyrrolidone encapsulated Ag nanoparticles: a high transmissive coating for efficiency enhancement of c-Si solar cells

RSC Advances ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 5667-5673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudarshana Banerjee ◽  
Ajoy K. Saha ◽  
Bibhutibhushan Show ◽  
Jhuma Ganguly ◽  
Raghunath Bhattacharyay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Ag Nanoparticles ◽  
Light Harvesting ◽  
Self Organization ◽  
Efficiency Enhancement ◽  
Ag Nps ◽  
Si Solar Cells

Formation of PVP encapsulated Ag NPs with a regular rippled structure caused by molecular self organization is reported. Such pattern is supposed to act as an anti-reflection coating as well as plasmonic layer, for better light harvesting.

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