Enhanced absorption in thin crystalline silicon films for solar cells by nanoimprint lithography

Trompoukis, Christos; Herman, Aline; Daïf, Ounsi El; Depauw, Valérie; Gestel, Dries Van; Nieuwenhuysen, Kris Van; Gordon, Ivan; Deparis, Olivier; Poortmans, Jef

doi:10.1117/12.921212

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…30 Results clearly show that the combined structures provide more light trapping capabilities than single element devices. We elucidate the important dependence on the active material thickness and the specular reflection component of the bottom diffuser.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Modeling combined coherent and incoherent scattering structures for light trapping in solar cells

Abass

Trompoukis

Leyre

et al. 2013

Journal of Applied Physics

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Current structures for solar cells or LEDs often incorporate layers of various optical regimes, with a mixture of coherent, partially coherent or incoherent behavior. We developed a simple and efficient calculation method to study such combined solar cell structures with both wave and ray optics sections. These One-Pass Coherent calculations take wave effects into account where they matter the most, while avoiding a large computational domain to model rough structures. The method simulates a general diffuser by working directly with the reflected wavefronts, instead of using its geometry. We utilize this method to study thin film silicon solar cell structures with a grating on the front and a diffuser at the back. More absorption is obtained with the combined light trapping scheme of appropriate characteristics, compared with grating-only or diffuser-only counterparts. Finally, we report a significant effect of incoherence on the absorption of fairly thin ($10 lm) cells. We demonstrate that partially incoherent light can be more efficiently absorbed than fully coherent light on average over a broad wavelength range. It turns out that the scarcity of guided modes for fully coherent light can hinder the grating enhancement, leading to a consistently better performance when light coherence is limited or lost. V C 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Modeling combined coherent and incoherent scattering structures for light trapping in solar cells

Abass

Trompoukis

Leyre

et al. 2013

Journal of Applied Physics

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“…The integrated absorption is increased from 53% for the unpatterned cell up to 81% for the nanopatterned cell. The light-trapping mechanism we propose can be understood as the superposition of two phenomena [18]. On one hand, the decrease in the front reflectance for the nanopatterned cell, which can be observed in Figure 4 at the wavelengths between 300 and 500 nm, can be attributed to a better coupling of light inside the photoactive layer with no influence of the back side.…”

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confidence: 96%

“…The definition of the 2D periodic photonic nanostructures is done by soft thermal-NIL ( Figure 1) [18]. The concept is based on the direct deformation of a thermoplastic resist by compression from a soft polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamp.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Photonic assisted light trapping integrated in ultrathin crystalline silicon solar cells by nanoimprint lithography

Trompoukis

Daïf

Depauw

et al. 2012

Applied Physics Letters

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We report on the fabrication of two-dimensional periodic photonic nanostructures by nanoimprint lithography and dry etching, and their integration into a 1-μm-thin monocrystalline silicon solar cell. Thanks to the periodic nanopatterning, a better in-coupling and trapping of light is achieved, resulting in an absorption enhancement. The proposed light trapping mechanism can be explained as the superposition of a graded index effect and of the diffraction of light inside the photoactive layer. The absorption enhancement is translated into a 23% increase in short-circuit current, as compared to the benchmark cell, resulting in an increase in energy-conversion efficiency.

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“…Researchers seek for alternative texturing techniques to overcome material consumption and having to work with thick substrates. Structuring the Si surface by periodic and random cones, rods, wires and holes have already been studied by several research groups [2][3][4][5]. For solar cell application, the texture is expected to improve the solar cell performance and decrease the cost of fabrication process.…”

Section: Public Interest Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Periodic Micro Hole Texturing with Metal Assisted Chemical Etching for Solar Cell Applications: Dependence of Etch Rate on Orientation

Sh¹,

He²,

Demircioglu³

et al. 2017

Journal of Materials Science and Nanotechnology

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About The AuthorSurface texturing is an indispensable process for solar cell fabrication. The interaction of the surface with the incoming sunlight is controlled by texturing in such a way that the absorption is maximized through multiple interactions. Wet and dry etching techniques have been used to create textured surfaces on solar cells. Other than standard alkaline texturing used by the industry, metal assisted etching (MAE) appears to be a promising texturing technique with greater potential application for multi-crystalline solar cell fabrication. It is possible to achieve both random and periodic patterns with MAE which is relatively cheaper than dry plasma etching techniques. In this study, periodic hole patterns with micron sized diameters and periodicity were aimed to be achieved. Etching rate was shown to be strongly dependent on the surface orientation. Uniformly distributed patterns with various diameter and period values were successfully obtained. Fabrication of solar cells on these surface patters were demonstrated. Performance of solar cells was evaluated through parameters like efficiency, open circuit voltage and short circuit current. In order to create a sustainable future for our planet while supplying continuously increasing energy demand of our society, we should use clean energy resources rather than burning fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and liquid oils. Among the renewable and clean energy sources, solar energy has the greatest potential for providing all energy needs of the human being today and in the future. However, it is required to develop technologies to convert solar energy to other forms like electrical and mechanical energies with high efficiency and low cost. Thus, increasing solar cells efficiency and lowering the material and process costs are the main aim in most of the research efforts. Surface texturing is an indispensable method for light harvesting to develop high efficient solar cells. Metal assisted etching method offers a new and industrially compatible alternative for creating a variety of surface structures that may lead to better performances when compared with conventional pyramid textured counterparts. This work presents some new results on surface texturing by metal assisted etching. Schematic representation of periodic hole array formation with metal assisted etching process is shown in Figure 1. The hole pattern was first defined by the photoresist through a lithography process regardless of orientation. A thin layer of Ag was then evaporated on patterned surface which is followed by a lift off process which left behind circular metal dots on the surface shown in Figure 1-b. During MAE, Si under metal dots was etched away through chemical reactions described elsewhere, array of holes was then formed. In the final step of MAE process, the residual metal was removed using aqua regia solution [11]. Keywords Public Interest StatementIn general, texturing of the Si wafer surface is performed by creating random pyramids through anisotropic etching ...

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Enhanced absorption in thin crystalline silicon films for solar cells by nanoimprint lithography

Cited by 15 publications

References 21 publications

Modeling combined coherent and incoherent scattering structures for light trapping in solar cells

Modeling combined coherent and incoherent scattering structures for light trapping in solar cells

Photonic assisted light trapping integrated in ultrathin crystalline silicon solar cells by nanoimprint lithography

Periodic Micro Hole Texturing with Metal Assisted Chemical Etching for Solar Cell Applications: Dependence of Etch Rate on Orientation

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