We have investigated the contribution of localized surface plasmon polaritons (LSPPs) in silver nanoparticles with radii smaller than 20 nm to the photocurrent of ultrathin photosensitive devices based on amorphous silicon. An increased light absorption and an enhanced photocurrent are found for wavelengths between 600 nm and 1150 nm in presence of nanoparticles. As amorphous silicon absorbs light efficiently only at wavelengths up to 750 nm, the increased photocurrent in the near infrared range is explained in terms of LSPP-induced photoemission of electrons within and in close vicinity of the nanoparticles.

Textured glass is prepared by ion beam treatment using wet chemically etched ZnO film as three dimensional etching mask. The shape and rms roughness of the textured glass can be adjusted by changing the initial ZnO thickness, wet‐chemical etching duration and ion beam etching parameters. The maximum rms roughness we achieved is 228 nm, with lateral feature size larger than 2 μm. The glass texturing process allows to study scattering already at the glass/TCO interface to enhance the refractive index step from rough material to silicon. First microcrystalline silicon thin film solar cells grown on the textured glass reveal certain light trapping effect with a short circuit current density up to 20 mA/cm2. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

No abstract

We present a precise and flexible method to investigate the impact of diverse detached reflector designs on the optical response of p–i–n thin‐film silicon solar cells. In this study, the term detached reflectors refers to back reflectors that are separated from the silicon layers by an intermediate rear dielectric of several micrometers. Based on the utilization of a highly conductive n‐doped layer and a local electrical contact scheme, the method allows the use of non‐conductive rear dielectrics such as air or transparent liquids. With this approach, diverse combinations of back reflector and rear dielectric can be placed behind the same solar cell, providing a direct evaluation of their impact on the device performance. We demonstrate the positive effect of a rear dielectric of low refractive index on the light trapping and compare the performance of solar cells with an air/Ag and a standard ZnO/Ag back reflector design. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Thin-film silicon solar cells often rely on a metal back reflector separated from the silicon layers by a thin rear dielectric as a back reflector (BR) design. In this work, we aim to obtain a better insight into the influence of the rear-dielectric/Ag BR design on the optical performance of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (mc-Si:H) solar cells. To allow the application of a large variety of rear dielectrics combined with Ag BRs of diverse topographies, the solar cell is equipped with a local electrical contact scheme that enables the use of non-conductive rear dielectrics such as air or transparent liquids of various refractive indices n. With this approach, detached Ag BRs having the desire surface texture can be placed behind the same solar cell, yielding a direct and precise evaluation of their impact on the optical cell performance. The experiments show that both the external quantum efficiency and the device absorptance are improved with decreasing n and increasing roughness of the BR. Calculations of the angular intensity distribution of the scattered light in the mc-Si:H are presented. They allow for establishing a consistent picture of the light trapping in the solar cell.