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Optics in Thin-film Silicon Solar Cells with Integrated Lamellar Gratings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Rahul Dewan
Affiliation:
r.dewan@jacobs-university.de, Jacobs University Bremen, School of Engineering and Science, Bremen, Germany
Darin Madzharov
Affiliation:
d.madzharov@jacobs-university.de, Jacobs University Bremen, School of Engineering and Science, Bremen, Germany
Andrey Raykov
Affiliation:
a.raykov@jacobs-university.de, Jacobs University Bremen, School of Engineering and Science, Bremen, Germany
Dietmar Knipp
Affiliation:
d.knipp@jacobs-university.de, Jacobs University Bremen, School of Engineering and Science, Bremen, Germany
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Abstract

Light trapping in microcrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells with integrated lamellar gratings was investigated. The influence of the grating dimensions on the short circuit current and quantum efficiency was investigated by numerical simulation of Maxwell’s equations by a Finite Difference Time Domain approach. For the red and infrared part of the optical spectrum, the grating structure leads to scattering and higher order diffraction resulting in an increased absorption of the incident light in the silicon thin-film solar cell. By studying the diffracted waves arising from lamellar gratings, simple design rules for optimal grating dimensions were derived.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

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