Enhanced Light Trapping in Thin Film Solar Cells Using a Plasmonic Fishnet Structure
Incorporating plasmonic structures into the back spacer layer of thin film solar cells (TFSCs) is an efficient way to improve their performance. The fishnet structure is used to enhance light trapping. Unlike other previously suggested discrete plasmonic particles, the fishnet is an electrically con...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2015-01-01
|
| Series: | International Journal of Photoenergy |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/910619 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832549877110800384 |
|---|---|
| author | Sayan Seal Vinay Budhraja Liming Ji Vasundara V. Varadan |
| author_facet | Sayan Seal Vinay Budhraja Liming Ji Vasundara V. Varadan |
| author_sort | Sayan Seal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Incorporating plasmonic structures into the back spacer layer of thin film solar cells (TFSCs) is an efficient way to improve their performance. The fishnet structure is used to enhance light trapping. Unlike other previously suggested discrete plasmonic particles, the fishnet is an electrically connected wire mesh that does not result in light field localization, which leads to high absorption losses. The design was verified experimentally. A silver fishnet structure was fabricated using electron beam lithography (EBL) and thermal evaporation. The final fabricated structure optically resembles a TFSC. The results predicted by numerical simulations were reproduced experimentally on a fabricated sample. We show that light absorption in the a-Si absorber layer is enhanced by a factor of 10.6 at the design wavelength of 690 nm due to the presence of the fishnet structure. Furthermore, the total absorption over all wavelengths was increased by a factor of 3.2. The short-circuit current of the TFSC was increased by 30% as a result of including the fishnet. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-adca9e7d7e83438390243c314ae3c726 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1110-662X 1687-529X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Photoenergy |
| spelling | doaj-art-adca9e7d7e83438390243c314ae3c7262025-02-03T06:08:28ZengWileyInternational Journal of Photoenergy1110-662X1687-529X2015-01-01201510.1155/2015/910619910619Enhanced Light Trapping in Thin Film Solar Cells Using a Plasmonic Fishnet StructureSayan Seal0Vinay Budhraja1Liming Ji2Vasundara V. Varadan3Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USADepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USADepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USADepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USAIncorporating plasmonic structures into the back spacer layer of thin film solar cells (TFSCs) is an efficient way to improve their performance. The fishnet structure is used to enhance light trapping. Unlike other previously suggested discrete plasmonic particles, the fishnet is an electrically connected wire mesh that does not result in light field localization, which leads to high absorption losses. The design was verified experimentally. A silver fishnet structure was fabricated using electron beam lithography (EBL) and thermal evaporation. The final fabricated structure optically resembles a TFSC. The results predicted by numerical simulations were reproduced experimentally on a fabricated sample. We show that light absorption in the a-Si absorber layer is enhanced by a factor of 10.6 at the design wavelength of 690 nm due to the presence of the fishnet structure. Furthermore, the total absorption over all wavelengths was increased by a factor of 3.2. The short-circuit current of the TFSC was increased by 30% as a result of including the fishnet.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/910619 |
| spellingShingle | Sayan Seal Vinay Budhraja Liming Ji Vasundara V. Varadan Enhanced Light Trapping in Thin Film Solar Cells Using a Plasmonic Fishnet Structure International Journal of Photoenergy |
| title | Enhanced Light Trapping in Thin Film Solar Cells Using a Plasmonic Fishnet Structure |
| title_full | Enhanced Light Trapping in Thin Film Solar Cells Using a Plasmonic Fishnet Structure |
| title_fullStr | Enhanced Light Trapping in Thin Film Solar Cells Using a Plasmonic Fishnet Structure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhanced Light Trapping in Thin Film Solar Cells Using a Plasmonic Fishnet Structure |
| title_short | Enhanced Light Trapping in Thin Film Solar Cells Using a Plasmonic Fishnet Structure |
| title_sort | enhanced light trapping in thin film solar cells using a plasmonic fishnet structure |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/910619 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sayanseal enhancedlighttrappinginthinfilmsolarcellsusingaplasmonicfishnetstructure AT vinaybudhraja enhancedlighttrappinginthinfilmsolarcellsusingaplasmonicfishnetstructure AT limingji enhancedlighttrappinginthinfilmsolarcellsusingaplasmonicfishnetstructure AT vasundaravvaradan enhancedlighttrappinginthinfilmsolarcellsusingaplasmonicfishnetstructure |