Nano- and microlenses as concepts for enhanced performance of solar cells

Martina Schmid; Phillip Manley

doi:10.1117/1.JPE.5.057003

25 November 2014 Nano- and microlenses as concepts for enhanced performance of solar cells

Martina Schmid, Phillip Manley

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Photonics for Energy, Vol. 5, Issue 1, 057003 (November 2014). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.5.057003

Abstract

Both metallic nanoparticles exhibiting plasmonic effects and dielectric nanoparticles coupling the light into resonant modes have shown successful applications to photovoltaics. On a larger scale, microconcentrator optics promise to enhance solar cell efficiency and to reduce material consumption. Here, we want to create a link between the concentrators on the nano- and on the microscale. From metallic nanospheres, we turn to dielectric ones and then look at increasing radii to approach the microscale. The lenses are investigated with respect to their interaction with light using three-dimensional simulations with the finite-element method. Resulting maps of local electric field distributions reveal the focusing behavior of the dielectric spheres. For larger lens sizes, ray tracing calculations, which give ray distributions in agreement with electric field intensities, can be applied. Calculations of back focal lengths in geometrical optics coincide with ray tracing results and allow insight into how the focal length can be tuned as a function of particle size, substrate refractive index, and the shape of the microlens. Despite the similarities we find for the nano- and the microlenses, integration into solar cells needs to be carefully adjusted, depending on the goals of material saving, concentration level, focal distance, and lens size.

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Martina Schmid and Phillip Manley "Nano- and microlenses as concepts for enhanced performance of solar cells," Journal of Photonics for Energy 5(1), 057003 (25 November 2014). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.5.057003

Published: 25 November 2014

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