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Experimental Limits of Light Capture in Thin Film Silicon Devices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Ales Poruba ,
Petr Klapetek ,
Jakub Holovsky ,
Adam Purkrt  and
Milan Vanecek
Ales Poruba
Affiliation:
poruba@fzu.cz, Institute of Physics, ASCR, Department of Optical Crystals, Cukrovarnicka 10, Prague, 162 53, Czech Republic, +420220318540, +420233343184
Petr Klapetek
Affiliation:
pklapetek@cmi.cz, Czech Metrology Institute, Okruzni 31, Brno, 638 00, Czech Republic
Jakub Holovsky
Affiliation:
holovsky@fzu.cz, Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Department of optical crystals, Cukrovarnicka 10, Prague, 162 53, Czech Republic
Adam Purkrt
Affiliation:
purkrt@fzu.cz, Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Department of optical crystals, Cukrovarnicka 10, Prague, 162 53, Czech Republic
Milan Vanecek
Affiliation:
vanecek@fzu.cz, Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Department of optical crystals, Cukrovarnicka 10, Prague, 162 53, Czech Republic
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Abstract

New approach for the determination of the angular distribution of the scattered light at nano-rough surfaces/interfaces from AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) data is presented. Calculation comes from modeling the electromagnetic field in the tight vicinity of the nano-rough surface by complex solution of Maxwell's equations and subsequent near field to far field transform. This method is demonstrated for four types of transparent conductive oxides (with rough free surfaces) deposited on glass substrates. As a result we have the amount and angular distribution of the scattered light „observed” in both transmission and reflection. Moreover calculation can be done for real sample dimensions (to compare the results with the measurement of the angular distribution function using LED laser) or for a semi-infinite sample which suppresses the interference effects and thus such distribution functions can be used as an input parameter for our 3-dimensional optical model CELL for thin film silicon solar cell modeling.

In the second part of this contribution we describe our experiment of thin film silicon solar cell characterization by Light Beam Induced Current (LBIC). This measurement done for laboratory solar cell structures reveals the light scattering and light trapping properties of the multilayer stack on a glass substrate. We suggest the test structure for the direct back reflector quality comparison and thus also for its optimization.

Keywords

thin filmoptical propertiesscanning probe microscopy (SPM)
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1101: Symposium KK – Light Management in Photovoltaic Devices–Theory and Practice , 2008 , 1101-KK02-03
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

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References

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