Open AccessCharacterization of light absorption in thin-film silicon with periodic nanohole arrays
Author(s) -
Nor Afifah Yahaya,
Noboru Yamada,
Yuichi Kotaki,
Tadachika Nakayama
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.21.005924
Subject(s) - materials science , monocrystalline silicon , indium tin oxide , silicon , optics , absorption (acoustics) , thin film , optoelectronics , stack (abstract data type) , wavelength , nanotechnology , physics , computer science , composite material , programming language
Light absorption in thin-film nanostructured monocrystalline silicon (c-Si) in a glass/Ag(0.2 µm)/c-Si(1 µm) stack is characterized using simulations and measurements. Nanohole (NH) arrays designed for a practical thin-film solar cell configuration experimentally exhibit a significant improvement of the light absorption in the 1-µm ultrathin c-Si layer that exceeds the theoretical Yablonovitch limit in the long wavelength range. Fabricated square-lattice and hexagonal NH arrays give relative improvements of 65 and 70%, respectively, in the total absorption compared to a nonpatterned stack. The effect of an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coating is also simulated, and an empty NH configuration gives the lowest ITO parasitic absorption.