Design and Performance Analysis of a c-Si Thin-Film Solar Cell Using Plasmonic Ag Nanostructures

This article presents a study on the use of surface plasmon enhancement in n-p junction crystalline silicon-based thin-film solar cells. A back reflector using periodically ordered Ag nanostructures, along with a planar front layer that contains an inverted triangle groove pattern are used to design the cell structure. The main purpose of the front layer is to enhance the absorption of shorter wavelengths of incident light. To demonstrate higher absorption at longer wavelengths, a back reflector using nanostructure components, and an inverted triangular groove architecture are included. The average absorption area of our structure is around 84.36% within the spectral range of 300-1100nm. Our proposed structure has achieved a maximum current density, J
sc
of 40.66 mA/cm
²
and an efficiency of 17.25%. Moreover, we have conducted an investigation into the impact of the length of the unit cell's period on the efficiency of our proposed cell. The results of our study demonstrate that the period length of the proposed unit cell exhibits better performance in comparison to others. Furthermore, a comprehensive examination of the electrical properties of thin-film solar cells has been carried out at various angles of light incidence ranging from 0 to 60 degrees whereas our proposed structure reveals a remarkable performance.