Advanced light trapping interface for a-Si:H thin film

Nasser H., Saleh Z. M., Ozkol E., BEK A., TURAN R.

3rd Turkish Solar Electricity Conference and Exhibition (SolarTR), Ankara, Turkey, 27 - 29 April 2015, vol.12, pp.1206-1210 identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Conference Paper / Full Text
  • Volume: 12
  • Doi Number: 10.1002/pssc.201510097
  • City: Ankara
  • Country: Turkey
  • Page Numbers: pp.1206-1210
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Surface texturing of transparent conducting oxides and plasmonic interfaces are two important techniques used separately in thin film solar cells to reduce reflection and enhance light-trapping. In this study, we merge the effects of Al:ZnO surface texturing and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) plasmonics in a single light-trapping interface to investigate their combined light trapping efficiency on a-Si:H thin film. Light scattered by this interface is optimized by placing a thin SiO2 spacer layer between AgNPs and a-Si: H absorber layer. Our results indicate that the AgNPs embedded in SiO2 significantly enhance absorption at energies close to the band gap of a-Si: H. Surface texturing by wet etching of Al: ZnO combined with AgNP produces the highest optical extinction of a-Si:H thin film at the band edge. Furthermore, the measured photocurrent in a-Si:H shows a clear increase not only at AgNPs resonance wavelength but over the entire wavelength range. (C) 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim