We show via numerical simulations that the absorption and solar energy conversion efficiency of a thin-film photovoltaic (PV) cell can be significantly enhanced by embedding it into an optical cavity. A reflective hemi-ellipsoid with an aperture for sunlight placed over a tilted PV cell reflects unabsorbed photons back to the cell, allowing for multiple opportunities for absorption. Ray tracing simulations predict that with the proposed cavity a textured thin-film silicon cell can exceed the Yablonovitch (Lambertian) limit for absorption across a broad wavelength range, while the performance of the cavity-embedded planar PV cell approaches that of the cell with the surface texturing.
CITATION STYLE
Weinstein, L. A., Hsu, W. C., Yerci, S., Boriskina, S. V., & Chen, G. (2015). Enhanced absorption of thin-film photovoltaic cells using an optical cavity. Journal of Optics (United Kingdom), 17(5). https://doi.org/10.1088/2040-8978/17/5/055901
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