Analysis of light trapping effect of thin film solar cell based on surface plasmon wave induced by metal nano-grating

ABSTRACTWe present a design and systematic numerical study of an amorphous Si/metal plasmonic solar cell structure for the total ratio of light trapping at visible frequencies. The proposed plasmonic structure consists of periodic metallic grating arrays on the side of semiconductor active layer of solar cell. The total ratio of light trapping of 3.48 can be achieved, which attributes to the localized surface plasmon generated from the metallic grating enhancing light absorption in the active region. The influence of the geometry parameters and conductor material on the total ratio of light trapping for the plasmonic solar cell has been also investigated. The results can be used for the practical device design.