1-D Magnetic photonic crystal as intermediate reflective layer in tandem solar cells

Abstract

The analysis of the optical properties of a 1-D binary magnetic photonic crystal (MPC) made up of Cu-doped YIG, a metal-doped magnetic composite material as one layer, and μc-SiOx:H as another layer is carried out. The refractive index of the Cu-YIG nanocomposite system is calculated using the Maxwell-Garnett equation. The transmission spectra of 1-D MPC is studied using the Transfer Matrix Method. The proposed 1-D MPC is designed in such a way that it is suitable to act as an intermediate reflective layer (IRL) in thin-film silicon tandem solar cells. The reference Bragg wavelength (λB) is set at 500 ​nm. The effect of copper doping in the magnetic photonic crystal on the photonic bandgap is studied. By varying the number of periods and the percentage of copper doping, the changes in the photonic bandgap are analysed. It is found that the photonic bandgap increases with the number of periods of the MPC and the percentage of copper doping, which tends to enhance the light trapping in tandem solar cells.