Light Trapping in Thin Crystalline Si Solar Cells Using Surface Mie Scatterers

Author

Spinelli, P. ; Polman, A.

Author_Institution

Center for Nanophotonics, FOM Inst., Amsterdam, Netherlands

Volume

4

Issue

2

fYear

2014

fDate

Mar-14

Firstpage

554

Lastpage

559

Abstract

Dielectric nanoparticles placed on top of a thin-film solar cell strongly enhance light absorption in the cell over a broad spectral range due to the preferential forward scattering of light from leaky Mie resonances in the particle. In this study, we systematically study with numerical simulations the absorption of light into thin (1-100 μm) crystalline Si solar cells patterned with Si nanocylinder arrays on top of the cell. We then use an analytical model to calculate the solar cell efficiency, based on the simulated absorption spectra. Using realistic values for bulk and surface recombination rates, we find that a 20-μm-thick Si solar cell with 21.5% efficiency can be made by using the Si nanocylinder Mie coating.

Keywords

Mie scattering; dielectric materials; elemental semiconductors; light scattering; nanoparticles; nanophotonics; radiation pressure; semiconductor thin films; silicon; solar cells; surface recombination; thin film devices; Si; bulk recombination rates; dielectric nanoparticles; efficiency 21.5 percent; forward light scattering; light absorption; light trapping; nanocylinder arrays; numerical simulations; silicon nanocylinder Mie coating; size 1 mum to 100 mum; size 20 mum; solar cell efficiency; surface Mie scatterers; surface recombination rates; thin crystalline silicon solar cells; Absorption; Coatings; Photovoltaic cells; Silicon; Slabs; Standards; Surface treatment; Nanophotonics; silicon; solar cells;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Photovoltaics, IEEE Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

2156-3381

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JPHOTOV.2013.2292744

Filename

6710163