On the light trapping mechanism in silicon solar cells with backside diffraction gratings

Markus Wellenzohn; Rainer Hainberger

doi:10.1117/12.2040094

7 March 2014 On the light trapping mechanism in silicon solar cells with backside diffraction gratings

Markus Wellenzohn, Rainer Hainberger

Proceedings Volume 8981, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices III; 89811O (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2040094
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2014, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

In this numerical study, we investigate the light trapping mechanism in silicon solar cells with backside diffraction gratings. In order to obtain a clearer view on the physical mechanisms underlying the light trapping we employ a simulation scheme that combines ray tracing with rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA). This combined simulation approach treats the light propagation inside the silicon absorber layer incoherently and averages out Fabry-Perot resonances, which otherwise would obscure characteristic humps in the absorption spectra that are directly related to light trapping effect of the diffraction gratings. We provide an in-depth explanation for the origin of these characteristic humps and their interrelationship with the silicon absorber thickness. A major benefit of this combined RCWA/ray tracing approach compared to the fully electromagnetic simulation methods RCWA and finite difference time domain (FDTD) is the more efficient use of computational power accompanied by a gain in simulation precision, in particular for cells with an absorber thicker than 10 μm.

Citation Download Citation

Markus Wellenzohn and Rainer Hainberger "On the light trapping mechanism in silicon solar cells with backside diffraction gratings", Proc. SPIE 8981, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices III, 89811O (7 March 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2040094

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KEYWORDS

Diffraction gratings

Absorption

Diffraction

Silicon solar cells

Silicon

Computer simulations

Photons

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