Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cells Integrated with Subwavelength Structured Cover Glass Fabricated by One-Step Self-Masked Etching

Abstract

We report an anti-reflective cover glass for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) thin film solar cells. Subwavelength structures (SWSs) were fabricated on top of a cover glass using one-step self-masked etching. The etching method resulted in dense whiskers with high aspect ratio. The produced structure exhibited excellent anti-reflective properties over a broad wavelength range, from the ultraviolet to the near infrared. Compared to a flat-surface glass, the average transmittance of the glass integrated with the SWSs improved from 92.4% to 95.2%. When the cover glass integrated with the SWSs was mounted onto the top of a CIGS device, the short-circuit current and the efficiency of the solar cell were enhanced by 4.38 and 6%, respectively, compared with a CIGS solar cell without cover glass.

Exploiting the Optical Limits of Thin‐Film Solar Cells: A Review on Light Management Strategies in Cu(In,Ga)Se2

“…[ 93,97,114–116 ] Hence, these ARCs are mostly for laboratory best cell applications, and industrial solutions are the research topics of several complementary works. [ 42,117,118 ]…”