Micromorph silicon tandem solar cells with fully integrated 3D photonic crystal intermediate reflectors

Abstract

A 3D photonic intermediate reflector for textured micromorph silicon tandem solar cells has been investigated. In thin-film silicon tandem solar cells consisting of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon with two junctions of a-Si/c-Si, efficiency enhancements can be achieved by increasing the current density in the a-Si top cell providing an optimized current matching at high current densities. For an ideal photon-management between top and bottom cell, a spectrally-selective intermediate reflective layer (IRL) is necessary. We present the first fully-integrated 3D photonic thin-film IRL device incorporated on a planar substrate. Using a ZnO inverted opal structure the external quantum efficiency of the top cell in the spectral region of interest could be enhanced. As an outlook we present the design and the preparation of a 3D self organized photonic crystal structure in a textured micromorph tandem solar cell.