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Title: Management of light absorption in extraordinary optical transmission based ultra-thin-film tandem solar cells

Abstract

Although ultra-thin-film solar cells can be attractive in reducing the cost, they suffer from low absorption as the thickness of the active layer is usually much smaller than the wavelength of incident light. Different nano-photonic techniques, including plasmonic structures, are being explored to increase the light absorption in ultra-thin-film solar cells. More than one layer of active materials with different energy bandgaps can be used in tandem to increase the light absorption as well. However, due to different amount of light absorption in different active layers, photo-generated currents in different active layers will not be the same. The current mismatch between the tandem layers makes them ineffective in increasing the efficiency. In this work, we investigate the light absorption properties of tandem solar cells with two ultra-thin active layers working as two subcells and a metal layer with periodically perforated holes in-between the two subcells. While the metal layer helps to overcome the current mismatch, the periodic holes increase the absorption of incident light by helping extraordinary optical transmission of the incident light from the top to the bottom subcell, and by coupling the incident light to plasmonic and photonic modes within ultra-thin active layers. We extensively study the effectsmore » of the geometry of holes in the intermediate metal layer on the light absorption properties of tandem solar cells with ultra-thin active layers. We also study how different metals in the intermediate layer affect the light absorption; how the geometry of holes in the intermediate layer affects the absorption when the active layer materials are changed; and how the intermediate metal layer affects the collection of photo-generated electron-hole pairs at the terminals. We find that in a solar cell with 6,6-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester top subcell and copper indium gallium selenide bottom subcell, if the periodic holes in the metal layer are square or polygon, total absorption remains approximately the same. However, the total absorption suffers significantly if the holes are triangle. The transmission spectra of incident light into the bottom subcell, and hence the absorption, change significantly for square and circle holes if the active materials change to cadmium selenide (CdSe) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) in the top and bottom subcells, respectively. Although the intermediate metal layer may induce electron-hole pair recombination due to surface defects, the short-circuit current density of an ultra-thin plasmonic solar cell with an intermediate metal layer with two-dimensional hole array is >9% of that of a structure without the intermediate metal layer.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22596982
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Applied Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 119; Journal Issue: 19; Other Information: (c) 2016 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; 75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; ABSORPTION; BUTYRIC ACID; CADMIUM SELENIDES; CADMIUM TELLURIDES; COPPER; COPPER SELENIDES; ELECTRICAL FAULTS; ELECTRONS; GALLIUM SELENIDES; GEOMETRY; HOLES; INDIUM SELENIDES; LAYERS; PERIODICITY; SOLAR CELLS; SPECTRA; SURFACES; THIN FILMS; WAVELENGTHS

Citation Formats

Mashooq, Kishwar, and Talukder, Muhammad Anisuzzaman, E-mail: anis@eee.buet.ac.bd. Management of light absorption in extraordinary optical transmission based ultra-thin-film tandem solar cells. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4949588.
Mashooq, Kishwar, & Talukder, Muhammad Anisuzzaman, E-mail: anis@eee.buet.ac.bd. Management of light absorption in extraordinary optical transmission based ultra-thin-film tandem solar cells. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4949588
Mashooq, Kishwar, and Talukder, Muhammad Anisuzzaman, E-mail: anis@eee.buet.ac.bd. 2016. "Management of light absorption in extraordinary optical transmission based ultra-thin-film tandem solar cells". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4949588.
@article{osti_22596982,
title = {Management of light absorption in extraordinary optical transmission based ultra-thin-film tandem solar cells},
author = {Mashooq, Kishwar and Talukder, Muhammad Anisuzzaman, E-mail: anis@eee.buet.ac.bd},
abstractNote = {Although ultra-thin-film solar cells can be attractive in reducing the cost, they suffer from low absorption as the thickness of the active layer is usually much smaller than the wavelength of incident light. Different nano-photonic techniques, including plasmonic structures, are being explored to increase the light absorption in ultra-thin-film solar cells. More than one layer of active materials with different energy bandgaps can be used in tandem to increase the light absorption as well. However, due to different amount of light absorption in different active layers, photo-generated currents in different active layers will not be the same. The current mismatch between the tandem layers makes them ineffective in increasing the efficiency. In this work, we investigate the light absorption properties of tandem solar cells with two ultra-thin active layers working as two subcells and a metal layer with periodically perforated holes in-between the two subcells. While the metal layer helps to overcome the current mismatch, the periodic holes increase the absorption of incident light by helping extraordinary optical transmission of the incident light from the top to the bottom subcell, and by coupling the incident light to plasmonic and photonic modes within ultra-thin active layers. We extensively study the effects of the geometry of holes in the intermediate metal layer on the light absorption properties of tandem solar cells with ultra-thin active layers. We also study how different metals in the intermediate layer affect the light absorption; how the geometry of holes in the intermediate layer affects the absorption when the active layer materials are changed; and how the intermediate metal layer affects the collection of photo-generated electron-hole pairs at the terminals. We find that in a solar cell with 6,6-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester top subcell and copper indium gallium selenide bottom subcell, if the periodic holes in the metal layer are square or polygon, total absorption remains approximately the same. However, the total absorption suffers significantly if the holes are triangle. The transmission spectra of incident light into the bottom subcell, and hence the absorption, change significantly for square and circle holes if the active materials change to cadmium selenide (CdSe) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) in the top and bottom subcells, respectively. Although the intermediate metal layer may induce electron-hole pair recombination due to surface defects, the short-circuit current density of an ultra-thin plasmonic solar cell with an intermediate metal layer with two-dimensional hole array is >9% of that of a structure without the intermediate metal layer.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4949588},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22596982}, journal = {Journal of Applied Physics},
issn = {0021-8979},
number = 19,
volume = 119,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat May 21 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Sat May 21 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}