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Mendes MJ, Haque S, Sanchez-Sobrado O, et al. Optimal-Enhanced Solar Cell Ultra-thinning with Broadband Nanophotonic Light Capture. iScience. 2018;3:238-254doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.04.018.
Mendes, M. J., Haque, S., Sanchez-Sobrado, O., Araújo, A., Águas, H., Fortunato, E., & Martins, R. (2018). Optimal-Enhanced Solar Cell Ultra-thinning with Broadband Nanophotonic Light Capture. iScience, 3238-254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2018.04.018
Mendes, Manuel J, et al. "Optimal-Enhanced Solar Cell Ultra-thinning with Broadband Nanophotonic Light Capture." iScience vol. 3 (2018): 238-254. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2018.04.018
Mendes MJ, Haque S, Sanchez-Sobrado O, Araújo A, Águas H, Fortunato E, Martins R. Optimal-Enhanced Solar Cell Ultra-thinning with Broadband Nanophotonic Light Capture. iScience. 2018 May 25;3:238-254. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.04.018. Epub 2018 Apr 26. PMID: 30428324; PMCID: PMC6137392.
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iScience. 2018 May 25;3:238-254. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.04.018. Epub 2018 Apr 26.

Optimal-Enhanced Solar Cell Ultra-thinning with Broadband Nanophotonic Light Capture.

iScience

Manuel J Mendes, Sirazul Haque, Olalla Sanchez-Sobrado, Andreia Araújo, Hugo Águas, Elvira Fortunato, Rodrigo Martins

Affiliations

  1. i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal. Electronic address: [email protected].
  2. i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.

PMID: 30428324 PMCID: PMC6137392 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.04.018

Abstract

Recent trends in photovoltaics demand ever-thin solar cells to allow deployment in consumer-oriented products requiring low-cost and mechanically flexible devices. For this, nanophotonic elements in the wave-optics regime are highly promising, as they capture and trap light in the cells' absorber, enabling its thickness reduction while improving its efficiency. Here, novel wavelength-sized photonic structures were computationally optimized toward maximum broadband light absorption. Thin-film silicon cells were the test bed to determine the best performing parameters and study their optical effects. Pronounced photocurrent enhancements, up to 37%, 27%, and 48%, respectively, in ultra-thin (100- and 300-nm-thick) amorphous, and thin (1.5-?m) crystalline silicon cells are demonstrated with honeycomb arrays of semi-spheroidal dome or void-like elements patterned on the cells' front. Also importantly, key advantages in the electrical performance are anticipated, since the photonic nano/micro-nanostructures do not increase the cell roughness, therefore not contributing to recombination, which is a crucial drawback in state-of-the-art light-trapping approaches.

Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Computational Method in Materials Science; Energy Materials; Optical Materials

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