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Journal of Applied Physics / Volume 109 / Issue 8 / ARTICLES / Device Physics

J. Appl. Phys. 109, 084516 (2011); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3569689 (8 pages)

Resonances and absorption enhancement in thin film silicon solar cells with periodic interface texture

F.-J. Haug, K. Söderström, A. Naqavi, and C. Ballif

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory, Rue A.-L. Breguet 2, CH-2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland

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(Received 5 January 2011; accepted 21 February 2011; published online 22 April 2011)

We study absorption enhancement by light scattering at periodically textured interfaces in thin film silicon solar cells. We show that the periodicity establishes resonant coupling to propagating waveguide modes. Ideally, such modes propagate in the high index silicon film where they are eventually absorbed, but waveguide modes exist also in the transparent front contact layer if the product of its refractive index and thickness exceeds half the wavelength. Taking into account that the absorption coefficient of realistic transparent conducing films exceeds the one of silicon close to its band gap, certain waveguide modes will enhance parasitic absorption in the transparent front contact. From an analysis based on the statistic distribution of energy among the available waveguide and radiation modes, we conclude that conventional thin film silicon solar cells with thick and nonideal contacts may fail to reach the previously noted bulk limit of 4nSi2; instead, a more conservative limit of 4(nSi2-nTCO2) applies.

© 2011 American Institute of Physics

Article Outline

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. EXPERIMENT
  3. MODEL
  4. WAVEGUIDE DISPERSION RELATIONS
  5. WAVEGUIDE ATTENUATION
  6. PERIODICITY AND RECIPROCAL SPACE
  7. RESONANCE EXCITATION IN PERIODIC DEVICES
  8. A NOTE ON STATISTICAL COUPLED MODE THEORY
  9. LIGHT PATH ENHANCEMENT IN CELLS CONFIGURATIONS WITH THICK TRANSPARENT CONDUCTING OXIDES
  10. CONCLUSIONS

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KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

absorption coefficients, elemental semiconductors, energy gap, light scattering, refractive index, semiconductor thin films, silicon, solar cells

PACS

  • 88.40.jj

    Silicon solar cells

  • 88.40.hj

    Efficiency and performance of solar cells

ARTICLE DATA

Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3569689

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

0021-8979 (print)  
1089-7550 (online)

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef American Institute of Physics

For access to fully linked references, you need to log in.
    P. Campbell and M. Green, J. Appl. Phys. 62, 243 (2009)JAPIAU000062000001000243000001.

    P. Sheng, A. N. Bloch, and R. S. Stepleman, Appl. Phys. Lett. 43, 579 (1983)APPLAB000043000006000579000001.

    F.-J. Haug, T. Söderström, O. Cubero, V. Terrazzoni-Daudrix, and C. Ballif, J. Appl. Phys. 104, 064509 (2008)JAPIAU000104000006064509000001.

    K. Söderström, F. Haug, J. Escarré, O. Cubero, and C. Ballif, Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 213508 (2010)APPLAB000096000021213508000001.

    F. J. Haug, T. Söderström, O. Cubero, V. Terrazoni-Daudrix, and C. Ballif, J. Appl. Phys. 106, 044502 (2009)JAPIAU000106000004044502000001.


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