Geometric Effect of Grating-Patterned Electrode for High Conversion Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

Photovoltaic devices that convert solar energy into electrical energy are a promising solution to resolve environmental problems the world is facing today. Among the various photovoltaic system, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has been regarded as a new generation of the photovoltaic device due to the low cost and simple fabrication process. However, the current design of DSSCs shows insufficient conversion efficiency. To solve this problem, we increase the optical path length by trapping the incident light using a diffraction grating with high reflectance. We numerically investigate the effect of geometric parameters on the reflectance of diffraction gratings in DSSC system. Based on the simulation results, we propose an optimized geometry of diffraction grating that reflects the outgoing light and traps the incident light. The optimized geometry of the diffraction grating increase in the reflectance about 80% when it is compared to that without the diffraction grating.