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New Light Trapping in Thin Film Solar Cells Using Textured Photonic Crystals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Lirong Zeng
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, 02139, U.S.A.
Yasha Yi
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, 02139, U.S.A.
Ching-Yin Hong
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, 02139, U.S.A.
Xiaoman Duan
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, 02139, U.S.A.
Lionel C. Kimerling
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, 02139, U.S.A.
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Abstract

A novel light trapping scheme is developed to enhance the optical path length in solar cells by using a photonic structure as the backside reflector. This structure combines a reflection grating on the substrate with an over-deposited distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). With this structure, the optical path length can be enhanced by more than 104 times with very little reflection loss. In turn, solar cell efficiency is predicted to be enhanced enormously.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

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References

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