Fundamental optical simulations of light trapping in microcrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells

C. Haase; H. Stiebig

doi:10.1117/12.662687

12 May 2006 Fundamental optical simulations of light trapping in microcrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells

C. Haase, H. Stiebig

Proceedings Volume 6197, Photonics for Solar Energy Systems; 619705 (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.662687
Event: SPIE Photonics Europe, 2006, Strasbourg, France

Abstract

Thin-film silicon solar cells require an effective light trapping and a low reflectivity over the entire sun spectrum. As the optics in thin-film devices is not understood in detail optical simulations can be a useful tool to investigate the wave propagation in textured layer stacks. For microcrystalline (μc-Si:H) and amorphous (a-Si:H) silicon solar cells transparent conductive oxides (ZnO) with randomly rough textured interfaces are commonly used to achieve an improved light in-coupling into the cell and light scattering at the rough interfaces. Since periodically textured substrates offer the possibility to design the solar cell in accordance to a waveguide, the solar cells with integrated grating coupler and Bragg reflector gain more and more in importance. To get more insight into light propagation a detailed computational study focusing on the relation of the incoming light wave and the structure size and structure shape of the interface texture is extremely valuable.

Citation Download Citation

C. Haase and H. Stiebig "Fundamental optical simulations of light trapping in microcrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells", Proc. SPIE 6197, Photonics for Solar Energy Systems, 619705 (12 May 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.662687

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