Three-Dimensional Periodic Arrays of Circular Apertures for Improved Photovoltaic Devices

Due to the unique properties of surface plasmon, it can be used to realize modulation and manipulation of the characteristics of light wave, such as transmission direction, local intensity of light field and polarization form of light wave. In particular, with the development of nanomaterial preparation and processing technology, it is possible to adjust and control the metal structure in nanoscale, to change its influence on light wave and electromagnetic field, which makes it possible to tune the resonance characteristics of surface plasmon. Now, plasmonics can be used to improve absorption in photovoltaic devices, permitting a considerable reduction in the physical thickness of solar photovoltaic absorber layers, and yielding new options for solar-cell design. In this paper, numerical solution is presented for light scattering from freestanding three-dimensional periodic arrays of circular apertures perforated in a thin noble-metal sheet. Dependence of the powers on the array parameters and wavelength is discussed in detail from the viewpoint of grating resonance.