3D photonic crystal intermediate reflectors for enhanced light-trapping in tandem solar cells

The concept of 3D photonic crystals embedded in tandem solar cells as intermediate reflective layers is investigated. Numerical as well as experimental results will be presented.

Fluorescent Concentrators for Photovoltaic Applications

Creating Defined 3-D Defects Inside an Opaline Ormocer® Matrix with Two-Photon Lithography

The creation of defined structures inside a synthetic opal is a key step toward applications in optics, where control of the propagation of light inside a photonic crystal is necessary. In a previous paper, we described the nanostructuring of Ormocer® to form inverse opals (Lange et al., Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2006, 27, 1746). Here, we report an application for this robust replica process in which defects can be directly produced within the PC by two-photon lithography. The holes of an inverse opal structure are first filled with a resin of similar refractive index. In this transparent material, polymerization can be initiated at defined places via two-photon lithography. After removal of …

Emission of Rhodamine B in PMMA opals for luminescent solar concentrators

In conventional luminescent solar concentrators (LSC) incident light is absorbed by luminophores and emitted isotropically. Most of the emitted light is trapped inside the LSC by total internal reflection and guided to solar cells at the edges. Light emitted towards the surfaces, however, is lost in the escape cone. Furthermore, when the luminophore emits light in its absorption range, light is lost due to reabsorption. To overcome these losses, we embed the luminescent material in photonic structures to influence the emission characteristics. Directional and spectral redistribution of emission is supposed to enhance the light guiding in LSCs and reduce reabsorption losses. For this purpose…

Non-ionic photo-acid generators for applications in two-photon lithography

Non-ionic photoacid generators (PAGs) have been designed and synthesized for use in two-photon lithography (TPL). The chromophores in these new PAGs are covalently linked to the photocleavable group by a flexible joint. Their thermal stability, solubility and efficiency to produce acid under both one- and two-photon excitation were characterized. The potential of these PAGs for TPL was tested in two negative-tone resist systems relying on different mechanisms: free-radical/cationic polymerization or a cationically initiated cross-linking reaction. These PAGs needed lower threshold power for polymerization compared to a commercially available photoinitiator, isopropylthioxanthone, and a phot…

Inverted-opal photonic crystals for ultra light-trapping in solar cells

We investigated a three dimensional inverted opal having the potential to notably increase light-trapping in solar cells. The 3D photonic crystal top layer is an angle- and direction-selective filter, which decreases the acceptance cone of the solar cell. Numerical optimisation methods are used to verify the optical and electrical properties for a large angluar and energy spectrum for a system consisting of an inverted opal on top of a thin crystalline silicon solar cell. It is numerically shown that an inverted opal grown in the Τ - Xdirection might fulfill the requirement for such a filter. An estimate for the theoretically achievable efficiency for nonconcentrated light is presented that…

Transparent conductive oxide photonic crystals on textured substrates

Three-dimensional ZnO:Al photonic crystals were fabricated by atomic layer deposition on highly textured substrates. It turns out that these inverted opals consist of a thin intermediate disordered layer close to the textured substrate followed by a highly-ordered photonic crystal layer. The photonic crystals themselves exhibit comparable optical properties to those on planar substrates.

Rear Side Diffractive Gratings for Silicon Wafer Solar Cells

Electrodeposition of ZnO nanorods on opaline replica as hierarchically structured systems

We present a new method to prepare hierarchical structures by using ZnO replica and ZnO-coated PMMA opals as electrodes in an electrodeposition process of ZnO nanorods. Depending on the approach the nanorods can be either grown exclusively on top of the replica or inside the replica structures. Therefore two types of systems are accessible: 3D photonic crystals with a hierarchically structured surface consisting of nanorods and macroporous ZnO structures with an increased surface area.

Three-dimensional photonic crystal intermediate reflectors for enhanced light-trapping in tandem solar cells

A three-dimensional photonic crystal intermediate reflector for enhanced light trapping in tandem solar cells is presented. The intermediate reflector consists of a transparent and conductive ZnO:Al inverted opal sandwiched in between the top amorphous silicon and bottom microcrystalline silicon cell.

Photonic crystal intermediate reflector in micromorph tandem solar cells

Experimental and numerical evidences are presented which show that the efficiency of silicon based tandem solar-cells can be increased by incorporating a three-dimensional photonic crystal as an intermediate reflector.

3D photonic crystal intermediate reflector for micromorph thin-film tandem solar cell

The concept of 3D photonic intermediate reflectors for micromorph silicon tandem solar cells has been investigated. In thin-film silicon tandem solar cells consisting of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon with two junctions of a-Si/μc-Si, efficiency enhancements can be achieved by increasing the current density in the a-Si top cell. It is one goal to provide an optimized current matching at high current densities. For an ideal photon-management between top and bottom cell, a spectrally selective intermediate reflective layer (IRL) is necessary, which is less dependent of the angle of incidence than state-of-the-art thickness dependent massive interlayers. The design, preparation and cha…

Micromorph silicon tandem solar cells with fully integrated 3D photonic crystal intermediate reflectors

A 3D photonic intermediate reflector for textured micromorph silicon tandem solar cells has been investigated. In thin-film silicon tandem solar cells consisting of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon with two junctions of a-Si/c-Si, efficiency enhancements can be achieved by increasing the current density in the a-Si top cell providing an optimized current matching at high current densities. For an ideal photon-management between top and bottom cell, a spectrally-selective intermediate reflective layer (IRL) is necessary. We present the first fully-integrated 3D photonic thin-film IRL device incorporated on a planar substrate. Using a ZnO inverted opal structure the external quantum eff…

Theoretical and experimental analysis of photonic structures for fluorescent concentrators with increased efficiencies

In this study we present a theoretical and experimental analy- sis of the application of photonic band stop filters on top of photovoltaic fluorescent concentrators in order to increase the photon collection efficiency. The light guiding effect of the fluorescent concentrator relies on total internal reflection. The escape cone of total internal reflection is their major loss mechanism. Our ray tracing simulation allows to calculate the beneficial effect of photonic band stop reflection filters, which reduce these losses, and to simulate the angular distribu- tion of the light trapped in the concentrator. We present simula- tions of the optical properties of 1D and 3D photonic structures an…