Performance enhancement of ultra-thin nanowire array solar cells by bottom reflectivity engineering

Abstract

A bottom-reflectivity-enhanced ultra-thin nanowire array solar cell is proposed and studied by 3D optoelectronic simulations. By inserting a small-index MgF2 layer between the polymer and substrate, the absorption is significantly improved over a broad wavelength range due to the strong reabsorption of light reflected at the polymer/MgF2 interface. With a 5 nm-thick MgF2 layer, the GaAs nanowire array solar cell with a height of 0.4–1 μm yields a remarkable conversion efficiency ranging from 14% to 15.6%, significantly higher than conventional structures with a much larger height. Moreover, by inserting the MgF2 layer between the substrate and a part of the nanowire, in addition to between the substrate and polymer, the absorption of substrate right below the nanowire is further suppressed, leading to an optimal efficiency of 15.9%, 18%, and 5.4% for 1 μm-high GaAs, InP, and Si nanowire solar cells, respectively. This work provides a simple and universal way to achieve low-cost high-performance nanoscale solar cells.