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Type: 
Journal
Description: 
Plasmonic light trapping in thin film silicon solar cells is a promising route to achieve high efficiency with reduced volumes of semiconductor material. In this paper, we study the enhancement in the opto-electronic performance of thin a-Si:H solar cells due to the light scattering effects of plasmonic back reflectors (PBRs), composed of self-assembled silver nanoparticles (NPs), incorporated on the cells’ rear contact. The optical properties of the PBRs are investigated according to the morphology of the NPs, which can be tuned by the fabrication parameters. By analyzing sets of solar cells built on distinct PBRs we show that the photocurrent enhancement achieved in the a-Si:H light trapping window (600 – 800 nm) stays in linear relation with the PBRs diffuse reflection. The best-performing PBRs allow a pronounced broadband photocurrent enhancement in the cells which is attributed not only to the plasmon-assisted …
Publisher: 
Optical Society of America
Publication date: 
30 Jun 2014
Authors: 

Seweryn Morawiec, Manuel J Mendes, Sergej A Filonovich, Tiago Mateus, Salvatore Mirabella, Hugo Águas, Isabel Ferreira, Francesca Simone, Elvira Fortunato, Rodrigo Martins, Francesco Priolo, Isodiana Crupi

Biblio References: 
Volume: 22 Issue: 104 Pages: A1059-A1070
Origin: 
Optics express