Optics of surface textured thin-film silicon solar cells

Abstract

The optical wave propagation in microcrystalline thin-film silicon solar cells with integrated triangular surface texture was investigated. The influence of the periodic profile dimensions and absorber layer thickness on the short circuit current and quantum efficiencies was analyzed. The optics of the solar cell was calculated by using a finite difference time domain approach to solve the Maxwell’s equations. The short circuit current of the solar cells on smooth substrates (without texturing) is used as a reference to investigate the influence of the surface textures. Optimal dimensions of the triangular gratings were found for periods in the range of the incident wavelength. The fundamental optical losses in the solar cell were also analyzed. By identifying these key losses, strategies to minimize the losses will be derived. (Less)