Comparison between One-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Optical Modelling of Ordered Black Silicon Nanostructures Using Effective Medium Approach

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine whether the effective medium approach (EMA) is suitable to model black silicon structures. The present study focuses on comparing EMA paired with 1D FDTD simulations to full 3D FDTD simulations. Comparison was done for ordered cylindrical and hemispherical b-Si nanostructures. From the simulation results, the 1D simulation seems to underestimate the transmittance and overestimate the reflectance for these structures. This was attributed to the failure of the EMA to capture scattering and diffraction effects that were present in the nanostructures. The absorptance spectrum was comparable for both 1D and 3D simulations, hence it was concluded that the simplification may be suitable for simplifying problems where calculating the absorption of light is desired.