Optical characterization of 3D photonic structures for light trapping in crystalline silicon solar cells

Sebastian Knabe; Sebastian Wilken; Johannes Üpping; Ralf B. Wehrspohn; Gottfried H. Bauer

doi:10.1117/12.853717

18 May 2010 Optical characterization of 3D photonic structures for light trapping in crystalline silicon solar cells

Sebastian Knabe, Sebastian Wilken, Johannes Üpping, Ralf B. Wehrspohn, Gottfried H. Bauer

Proceedings Volume 7725, Photonics for Solar Energy Systems III; 772513 (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.853717
Event: SPIE Photonics Europe, 2010, Brussels, Belgium

Abstract

One possibility to enhance the solar cell efficiency above the Shockley Queisser limit is trapping the sunlight inside the absorber with angular selective filters like a 3d photonic structure to increase the optical path length of the radiation. In this study we analyze a 3d opal structure for light trapping in crystalline silicon solar cells. Therefore, we performed reflection and transmission measurements on the opal and luminescence measurements on a crystalline silicon wafer in conjunction with an opal. Results from measurements were compared with numerical simulations to identify the effects of the photonic stop gap which departs from ideal ones by limited number of layers (below 10 layers) and by lateral departure from translational symmetry due to ordered opal regimes of limited sizes (around 100 μm²). For the discussion of experimental observations we include as well the influence on luminescence yield of a hypothetic non-stop-gap over layer with similar refractive index.

Citation Download Citation

Sebastian Knabe, Sebastian Wilken, Johannes Üpping, Ralf B. Wehrspohn, and Gottfried H. Bauer "Optical characterization of 3D photonic structures for light trapping in crystalline silicon solar cells", Proc. SPIE 7725, Photonics for Solar Energy Systems III, 772513 (18 May 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.853717

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