Tailoring randomly rough textures for light trapping in thin-film solar cells

Piotr Kowalczewski; Angelo Bozzola; Marco Liscidini; Lucio Claudio Andreani

doi:10.1117/12.2051821

15 May 2014 Tailoring randomly rough textures for light trapping in thin-film solar cells

Piotr Kowalczewski, Angelo Bozzola, Marco Liscidini, Lucio Claudio Andreani

Proceedings Volume 9140, Photonics for Solar Energy Systems V; 91400N (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2051821
Event: SPIE Photonics Europe, 2014, Brussels, Belgium

Abstract

In this contribution, we use a rigorous electro-optical model to study randomly rough crystalline silicon solar cells with the absorber thickness ranging from 1 to 100 μm. We demonstrate a significant efficiency enhancement, particularly strong for thin cells. We estimate the “region of interest” for thin-film photovoltaics, namely the thickness range for which the energy conversion efficiency reaches maximum. This optimal thickness results from the opposite trends of current and voltage as a function of the absorber thickness. Finally, we focus on surface recombination. In our design, the cell efficiency is limited by recombination at the rear (silicon absorber/back reflector) interface, and therefore engineering the front surface to a large extent does not reduce the efficiency. The presented model of roughness adds a significant functionality to previous approaches, for it allows performing rigorous calculations at a much reduced computational cost.

Citation Download Citation

Piotr Kowalczewski, Angelo Bozzola, Marco Liscidini, and Lucio Claudio Andreani "Tailoring randomly rough textures for light trapping in thin-film solar cells", Proc. SPIE 9140, Photonics for Solar Energy Systems V, 91400N (15 May 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2051821

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