Paper Title:

Enhanced Omnidirectional Optical Absorption in a Nanopatterned Silicon Thin Film for Photovoltaic Applications

Periodical Advanced Materials Research (Volumes 512 - 515)
Main Theme Renewable and Sustainable Energy II
Edited by Nanqi Ren, Lam Kin Che, Bo Jin, Renjie Dong and Haiquan Su
Pages 234-237
DOI 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.512-515.234
Citation Hai Lu et al., 2012, Advanced Materials Research, 512-515, 234
Online since May, 2012
Authors Hai Lu, Chun Hua Xue, Hong Chen
Keywords Nanostructure, Light Trapping, Silicon, Thin Film Photovoltaic Cell
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Abstract

We show that the optical absorption in thin-film photovoltaic cells can be enhanced by texturing the silicon absorbing layer into nanostructured array. The optical absorption of the proposed configuration is enhanced by 70% compared to a nonpatterned silicon thin film of the same thickness. Furthermore, the proposed silicon thin film PV cell has a good angle-independent response of up to 60°. The omnidirectional absorbance enhancement of the nanopatterned silicon thin film is attributed to its unusual light trapping mechanism and omnidirectional bandgap.