title: Nanophotonic light trapping in 3-dimensional thin-film silicon architectures.
abstract: Emerging low cost and large area periodic texturing methods promote the fabrication of complex absorber structures for thin film silicon solar cells. We present a comprehensive numerical analysis of a 2 μm square periodic polycrystalline silicon absorber architecture designed in our laboratories. Simulations are performed on the basis of a precise finite element reconstruction of the experimentally realized silicon structure. In contrast to many other publications, superstrate light trapping effects are included in our model. Excellent agreement to measured absorptance spectra is obtained. For the inclusion of the absorber into a standard single junction cell layout, we show that light trapping close to the Yablonovitch limit can be realized, but is usually strongly damped by parasitic absorption.
authors: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Institut für Silizium-Photovoltaik, Kekuléstraße 5, D-12489 Berlin, Germany. daniel.lockau@helmholtz-berlin.de
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Lockau
authors: Tobias
authors: T
authors: Sontheimer
authors: Christiane
authors: C
authors: Becker
authors: Eveline
authors: E
authors: Rudigier-Voigt
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Schmidt
authors: Bernd
authors: B
authors: Rech
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004867:Equipment Design; D008027:Light; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D012993:Solar Energy
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012825:Silicon