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Surface Plasmon Polariton-coupled Waveguide Back Reflector in Thin-film Silicon Solar Cell

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Abstract

Surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waveguide-coupled back reflector geometry is proposed for efficient light trapping and broadband absorption enhancement in thin-film silicon solar cells. The proposed geometry takes advantage of the localized surface plasmon (LSP) enhancement, Fabry-Perot (FP) resonance, and strong electric field confinement resulting from the SPP interference in a metal waveguide. It is shown that the designed light trapping structures contribute to significant light trapping and enhancement in the red to near-infrared part of the solar spectrum. For a thin-film silicon solar cell of 220-nm thickness, an absorption enhancement of 153 % is obtained when compared to a bare silicon solar cell. In comparison to other SPP-excited back reflection geometries, such as nano-gratings and nano-grooves, the proposed configuration shows a higher absorption enhancement factor and uniform field distribution inside the silicon layer. These results are expected to introduce new directions in the design of optimized nanoscale back reflectors in thin-film silicon solar cells.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial support received through MOE-RG 98/14 and MOE RG 34/10.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Optical & Laser Engineering (COLE), School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore

    P. Prabhathan & V. M. Murukeshan

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  1. P. Prabhathan
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  2. V. M. Murukeshan
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Correspondence to P. Prabhathan.

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Prabhathan, P., Murukeshan, V.M. Surface Plasmon Polariton-coupled Waveguide Back Reflector in Thin-film Silicon Solar Cell. Plasmonics 11, 253–260 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11468-015-0045-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11468-015-0045-9

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