Efficient light trapping in inverted nanopyramid thin crystalline silicon membranes for solar cell applications

Nano Lett. 2012 Jun 13;12(6):2792-6. doi: 10.1021/nl2045777. Epub 2012 May 29.

Abstract

Thin-film crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells with light-trapping structures can enhance light absorption within the semiconductor absorber layer and reduce material usage. Here we demonstrate that an inverted nanopyramid light-trapping scheme for c-Si thin films, fabricated at wafer scale via a low-cost wet etching process, significantly enhances absorption within the c-Si layer. A broadband enhancement in absorptance that approaches the Yablonovitch limit (Yablonovitch, E. J. Opt. Soc. Am.1987, 72, 899-907 ) is achieved with minimal angle dependence. We also show that c-Si films less than 10 μm in thickness can achieve absorptance values comparable to that of planar c-Si wafers thicker than 300 μm, amounting to an over 30-fold reduction in material usage. Furthermore the surface area increases by a factor of only 1.7, which limits surface recombination losses in comparison with other nanostructured light-trapping schemes. These structures will not only significantly curtail both the material and processing cost of solar cells but also allow the high efficiency required to enable viable c-Si thin-film solar cells in the future.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Electric Power Supplies*
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Light
  • Membranes, Artificial*
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / ultrastructure*
  • Refractometry / instrumentation*
  • Scattering, Radiation
  • Silicon / chemistry*
  • Solar Energy*

Substances

  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Silicon