Near-field enhancement of periodic nanostructures for photovoltaic applications: A theoretical study
Wang P, Azimi S, Breese MBH, Peters M (2014)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2014
Journal
Book Volume: 16
Article Number: 125012
Journal Issue: 12
DOI: 10.1088/2040-8978/16/12/125012
Abstract
In this work, we theoretically investigate the local electric near-field distribution inside thin, nano-textured crystalline silicon (c-Si). We use rigorous wave-optical modeling to compare the impact of periodic nanostructures with different geometries on the electric near-field close to the surface. The 'nano-muffins' geometry is introduced as one example for an optical structure with promising light trapping features. By simulation, we show that this geometry features confined optical modes that create strong near-field enhancement. This enhancement is particularly beneficial for very thin c-Si solar cells and is investigated in detail. The nano-muffins structure can achieve an average of 29-fold near-field enhancement in the spectrum of interest for silicon photovoltaic applications, which is comparable to the enhancements achievable with plasmonic structures. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the near-field enhancement with nano-muffins can be achieved over a broad spectral range, which is a marked advantage of dielectric structures over plasmonic structures. The presented findings are of potential interest also for other optoelectronic devices, such as LEDs or sensors.
Involved external institutions
Singapore (SG)How to cite
APA:
Wang, P., Azimi, S., Breese, M.B.H., & Peters, M. (2014). Near-field enhancement of periodic nanostructures for photovoltaic applications: A theoretical study. Journal of Optics, 16(12). https://doi.org/10.1088/2040-8978/16/12/125012
MLA:
Wang, Puqun, et al. "Near-field enhancement of periodic nanostructures for photovoltaic applications: A theoretical study." Journal of Optics 16.12 (2014).
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