Technological assessment of light-trapping technology for thin-film Si solar cell

The proposed light trapping technology of Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) with Diffraction Grating (DG) and Anti-Reflection Coating (ARC) for thin film Si solar cell was analyzed from the technology, market, and implementation perspectives. Two applications were investigated. For monocrystalline thin film Si solar cell, layer transfer technology is too expensive, while sliver Si technology is more applicable, but impossible to add DBR and DG structure on sliver Si that still attached on native wafer. For amorphous thin film Si solar cell, the cost model was created. Even though best-case assumptions were used, the cost/performance ratio of amorphous thin film Si equipped with proposed light trapping technology was still higher (worse) than incumbent amorphous thin film Si solar cell. Thesis Supervisor: Eugene A. Fitzgerald Title: Merton C. Flemings-SMA Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

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