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Ultrathin planar absorbing layers, including semiconductor and metal films,and 2D materials, are promising building blocks for solar energy harvestingdevices but poor light absorption has been a critical issue. Althoughinterference in ultrathin absorbing layers has been studied to realize nearperfect absorption at a specific wavelength, achieving high broadbandabsorption still remains challenging. Here, we both theoretically andexperimentally demonstrated a method to tune not only reflection phase shiftbut also electromagnetic energy dissipation to design broadband solar absorberwith simple planar structure consisting of an ultrathin absorbing layerseparated from the metallic substrate by a transparent layer. We explicitlyidentified by deriving a new formulism that the absorbing material withrefractive index proportional to the wavelength as well as extinctioncoefficient independent of the wavelength, is the ideal building block tocreate ultrathin planar broadband absorbers. To demonstrate the generalstrategy for naturally available absorbing materials in both high-loss(refractory metals) and weak-absorption (2D materials) regimes, we leveragedthe bound-electron interband transition with a broad Lorentz oscillator peak todesign a solar thermal absorber based on a ultrathin Cr layer; and leveragedthe strong exciton attributed to the spin-orbit coupling for the spectrum nearthe band edge, and the bound-electron interband transition for shorterwavelengths, to design a solar photovoltaic absorber based on a atomically thinMoS2 layer. Furthermore, our designed ultrathin broadband solar absorbers withplanar structures have comparable absorption properties compared to theabsorbers with nanopatterns. Our proposed design strategies pave the way tonovel nanometer thick energy harvesting and optoelectronic devices with simpleplanar structures.

Designing Planar, Ultra-Thin, Broad-Band and Material-Versatile Solar Absorbers via Bound-Electron and Exciton Absorption