Anti-reflective structures for photovoltaics: Numerical and experimental design
The effects of different anti-reflective structures on the photovoltaic performance of the silicon solar cell were studied using finite-element modelling and numerical simulations for which experiment alone does not provide a full description. The front surface reflectivity may be mitigated signific...
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doaj-56aff38821e14dba8db5ef364a23bbed2020-11-24T21:55:12ZengElsevierEnergy Reports2352-48472018-11-014266273Anti-reflective structures for photovoltaics: Numerical and experimental designKuan W.A. Chee0Ziqiang Tang1Hong Lü2Feng Huang3Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo 315100, China; Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China; Corresponding author at: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo 315100, China.Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo 315100, China; Yisci Bio Co. Ltd., 3377 Kangxin Gonglu, Pudong District, Shanghai, 200120, ChinaKey Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, ChinaThe effects of different anti-reflective structures on the photovoltaic performance of the silicon solar cell were studied using finite-element modelling and numerical simulations for which experiment alone does not provide a full description. The front surface reflectivity may be mitigated significantly by an anti-reflective coating (ARC) of a suitable thickness. Alternatively, nanoscale surface texturing can effectively trap a greater ratio of incident light to increase optical absorption. The optimized layer thicknesses of the ZnO single layer and SiO2/Si3N4 double layer films were calculated for minimum reflectivity, with the former grown by magnetron sputter deposition and characterized using specular X-ray reflectivity measurements. Based on geometric ray-tracing and solutions to the semiconductor equations, the theoretical photovoltaic performance was simulated and compared for a range of incident angles at an optical intensity of 0.1 Wcm−2, revealing a limit to the angular collection efficiency of the ARC at a grazing incidence angle of 30°. Using ZnO or SiO2/Si3N4 ARCs or surface texturing increases the power conversion efficiency by 20%, 24% and 30% respectively at normal incidence. The insights provided by physical-based modelling on the optimized design parameters of the anti-reflective structures confer a promising pathway for enhancing the external quantum efficiency of photovoltaic devices. Keywords: Photovoltaic cells, Surface engineering, Energy conversion, Thin films, Reflectivityhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235248471730286X |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Kuan W.A. Chee Ziqiang Tang Hong Lü Feng Huang |
spellingShingle |
Kuan W.A. Chee Ziqiang Tang Hong Lü Feng Huang Anti-reflective structures for photovoltaics: Numerical and experimental design Energy Reports |
author_facet |
Kuan W.A. Chee Ziqiang Tang Hong Lü Feng Huang |
author_sort |
Kuan W.A. Chee |
title |
Anti-reflective structures for photovoltaics: Numerical and experimental design |
title_short |
Anti-reflective structures for photovoltaics: Numerical and experimental design |
title_full |
Anti-reflective structures for photovoltaics: Numerical and experimental design |
title_fullStr |
Anti-reflective structures for photovoltaics: Numerical and experimental design |
title_full_unstemmed |
Anti-reflective structures for photovoltaics: Numerical and experimental design |
title_sort |
anti-reflective structures for photovoltaics: numerical and experimental design |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Energy Reports |
issn |
2352-4847 |
publishDate |
2018-11-01 |
description |
The effects of different anti-reflective structures on the photovoltaic performance of the silicon solar cell were studied using finite-element modelling and numerical simulations for which experiment alone does not provide a full description. The front surface reflectivity may be mitigated significantly by an anti-reflective coating (ARC) of a suitable thickness. Alternatively, nanoscale surface texturing can effectively trap a greater ratio of incident light to increase optical absorption. The optimized layer thicknesses of the ZnO single layer and SiO2/Si3N4 double layer films were calculated for minimum reflectivity, with the former grown by magnetron sputter deposition and characterized using specular X-ray reflectivity measurements. Based on geometric ray-tracing and solutions to the semiconductor equations, the theoretical photovoltaic performance was simulated and compared for a range of incident angles at an optical intensity of 0.1 Wcm−2, revealing a limit to the angular collection efficiency of the ARC at a grazing incidence angle of 30°. Using ZnO or SiO2/Si3N4 ARCs or surface texturing increases the power conversion efficiency by 20%, 24% and 30% respectively at normal incidence. The insights provided by physical-based modelling on the optimized design parameters of the anti-reflective structures confer a promising pathway for enhancing the external quantum efficiency of photovoltaic devices. Keywords: Photovoltaic cells, Surface engineering, Energy conversion, Thin films, Reflectivity |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235248471730286X |
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