Role of nanocone and nanohemisphere arrays in improving light trapping of thin-film solar cells

The optical trap of thin-film silicon solar cells is very important for improving efficiency and reducing cost. A composite nanostructure with front silicon nanocone gratings and rear Ag nanohemisphere gratings is proposed. The relationship between the geometrical parameters of the hybrid nanostructures and the optical properties of the silicon solar cells was studied using the finite element method. The light-harvesting ability was studied systematically using COMSOL Multiphysics. The simulation results show that the optimum parameters of the front silicon nanocone grating are a diameter of 350 nm, height of 250 nm, and pitch/diameter ratio of 1.1. The optimum parameters of the rear Ag hemispherical grating are a diameter of 270 nm and pitch/diameter ratio of 1.4. The average absorption of the hybrid nanostructure solar cell is 78.5%, and the short-circuit current density is 36.6 mA/cm2, representing an enhancement of 171.1% compared with that (13.5 mA/cm2) of the reference cell.

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