Abstract
We design a partially aperiodic, vertically-aligned silicon nanowire array that maximizes photovoltaic absorption. The optimal structure is obtained using a random walk algorithm with transfer matrix method based electromagnetic forward solver. The optimal, aperiodic structure exhibits a 2.35 times enhancement in ultimate efficiency compared to its periodic counterpart. The spectral behavior mimics that of a periodic array with larger lattice constant. For our system, we find that randomly-selected, aperiodic structures invariably outperform the periodic array.
Highlights
We use large-scale simulations and machine-based optimization techniques [18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25] to design optimal, aperiodic nanowire structures with greater than 100% increase in photovoltaic efficiency compared to their periodic counterparts
The absorptance of the periodic array is higher than the thin film in the high-energy range, which can be attributed to reduced reflection from the top surface
We investigated whether aperiodic structures outperform the periodic array in general
Summary
“Analysis of optical absorption in silicon nanowire arrays for photovoltaic applications,” Nano Lett. L. Povinelli, “Optical absorption enhancement in silicon nanowire arrays with a large lattice constant for photovoltaic applications,” Opt. Express 17(22), 19371–19381 (2009). “Optical absorption enhancement in disordered vertical silicon nanowire arrays for photovoltaic applications,” Opt. Lett.
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