Optimized nano-textured interfaces for thin-film silicon solar cells: identifying the limit of randomly textured interfaces

Thin-film solar cells contain nano-textured interfaces that scatter the incident light, leading to increased absorption and hence increased current densities in the solar cell. In this manuscript we systematically study optimized random nano-textured morphologies for three different cases: amorphous hydrogenated silicon solar cells (a-Si:H, bandgap 1.7 eV), nano-crystalline silicon solar cells (nc-Si:H, bandgap 1.1 eV) and tandem solar cells consisting of an a-Si:H and a nc-Si:H junction. For the optimization we use the Perlin texture algorithm, the scalar scattering theory, and a semi-coherent optical device simulator.

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