Improved light management in planar silicon and perovskite solar cells using PDMS scattering layer

Manzoor, Salman; Yu, Zhengshan J.; Ali, Asad; Ali, Waqar; Bush, Kevin A.; Palmstrom, Axel F.; Bent, Stacey F.; McGehee, Michael D.; Holman, Zachary C.

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2017.06.020

Improved light management in planar silicon and perovskite solar cells using PDMS scattering layer

Journal Article · Fri Jun 30 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2017.06.020· OSTI ID:1693795

Manzoor, Salman ^[1]; Yu, Zhengshan J. ^[2]; Ali, Asad ^[3]; Ali, Waqar ^[3]; Bush, Kevin A. ^[4]; Palmstrom, Axel F. ^[4]; Bent, Stacey F. ^[4]; McGehee, Michael D. ^[4]; Holman, Zachary C. ^[2]

Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States); Arizona State University
Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)
Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States); Univ. of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar (Pakistan)
Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

Several developing solar cell technologies—including perovskite cells, thin-film cells, epitaxially grown cells, and many tandem cells on silicon—have fabrication constraints that require a planar front surface. However, flat front surfaces result in large reflection losses and poor light trapping within the cell. We investigate scattering layers made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer carrying a random-pyramid texture to reduce such losses. The layers are first tested on a model system consisting of silicon heterojunction solar cells that have zero, one, or two surfaces textured with the same random pyramids (the other surfaces being planar) in order to elucidate the potential and limitations of employing a textured transparent layer instead of a textured absorber. PDMS layers result in short-circuit current density enhancements of 3.0 mA/cm² and 1.7 mA/cm² when applied to the front of a cell with flat front and rear surfaces, and a cell with a flat front surface and textured rear surface, respectively. Optical simulations reveal that the majority of the gain is due to a reduction in front-surface reflection and that the layers contribute only marginally to trapping weakly absorbed infrared light; nevertheless, a cell with a textured rear surface and a PDMS layer at its flat front surface can come to within 0.7 mA/cm2 of the performance of a double-side-textured cell. Lastly, a PDMS scattering layer is implemented in a planar perovskite solar cell, boosting its short-circuit current density by 1.9 mA/cm² and thus its efficiency by 10.6% relative.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Grant/Contract Number:: EE0006707; EE0008167

OSTI ID:: 1693795

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1538846
OSTI ID: 1550231

Journal Information:: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Journal Name: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells Vol. 173; ISSN 0927-0248

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Improved light management in planar silicon and perovskite solar cells using PDMS scattering layer

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