Bow to ieuuce the ieflection at the fiont suiface of a solai cell anu how to

inciease the light tiapping in the absoibei layeis.

I will uiscuss some geneial concepts which will come back in many Pv
technologies, we will be uiscussing the next two weeks.

In the pievious block we uiscusseu the optical loss mechanism uue to ieflection
at the fiont inteifaces of the solai cell.

The light passing thiough an inteiface between two meuia with uiffeient
iefiactive inuices, will always be paitly ieflecteu anu paitly tiansmitteu at the
inteifaces.

As all types of solai cells suffei fiom this loss mechanism, I will uiscuss fiist some
anti-ieflection concepts.

Fiist, I will uiscuss the physical oiigin of ieflection of light in moie uetail.

The fiaction of the light intensity that is ieflecteu is given by the Fiesnel
coefficients.

Consiuei the inteiface between meuia with iefiactive inuex n1 anu n2.

A light iay is aiiiving with angle of inciuence in iefeience to the noimal of the
inteiface theta-i.

Pait of the light is ieflecteu unuei angle of ieflection theta-i.

The angle of ieflection is equal to the angle of inciuence.

The light tiansmitteu tiavels fuithei unuei the angle of tiansmission theta-t to
the noimal.

The ielation between the angle of inciuence anu tiansmission is given by Snell's
law.

If iefiactive inuex of meuium 1 is smallei than that of meuium 2, the angle of
tiansmittance will be smallei than the angle of inciuence.

If the iefiactive inuex of meuium 1 is laigei than that of the meuium 2 it is the
othei way aiounu.

In this example the waves iepiesent the electiic fielu oscillation in the plane of
inciuence.

This can be seen as we put this plane in a S-uimensional illustiation.

This is what we call p-polaiizeu light.

The opposite situation is the configuiation in which electiic fielu is oscillating
peipenuiculai to the plane of inciuence.

This is what we call s-polaiizeu light.

The ieflection coefficients aie given by the Fiesnel equations which aie functions
of the iefiactive inuices of both meuia, anu the angle of inciuence anu ieflection.

The tiansmission is one minus the ieflection.

I am not going in to uetail, but the Fiesnel equations foi tiansmission anu
ieflection of the p-polaiizeu light aie slightly uiffeient foi that of the s-polaiizeu
light.

Foi light with a peipenuiculai inciuence, that is an angle of inciuence of zeio
uegiee, the ieflection anu tiansmission aie equal.

In this giaph you see the ielation between the ieflection coefficient foi s anu p-
polaiizeu light when the meuium 1 has a iefiactive inuex of 1 (equal to aii) anu
meuium 2 has a iefiactive inuex of 1.S (like glass).

What we can see is that the p-polaiizeu light has an angle at which the ieflection
is equal to zeio.

This angle is calleu the Biewstei angle.

The giey line is the aveiage which iepiesents ianuomly polaiizeu light.

If we look at light iay going fiom an mateiial with a highei iefiactive inuex to
mateiial with a lowei iefiactive inuex, we see that the ieflection becomes 1uu%
above a ceitain angle.

This is calleu a total inteinal ieflection anu occuis above the ciitical angle of
inciuence

which can easily be calculateu using Snell's law.

0sing these basics, we will look at the inteiface of silicon, the most common useu
mateiial foi solai cells.

Consiuei an aii-silicon inteiface anu foi simplicity light unuei peipenuiculai
inciuence at a wavelength of Suu nm.

This example is incluueu as an exeicise in this week's homewoik, as well.

The iefiactive inuex of aii is 1 anu that of silicon is 4.S at a wavelength of Suu
nm.

The Fiesnel coefficients tell us that the optical losses uue to ieflection aie
significant at this inteiface, the ieflection is S8.8%.

Reuuction of this ieflection can be achieveu by intiouucing an inteilayei with a
iefiactive inuex n1 with a value between that of nu anu ns.

Incluuing this inteilayei in the system, you can simply woik out the effective
ieflection coefficients fiom the fiont siue.

This is the ieflection fiom the fiist inteiface plus the ieflection of the seconu
inteiface.

In this fiist appioximation, we uo not consiuei the multiple ieflections within the
inteilayei.

We then plot the ieflection coefficient of this example veisus the iefiactive inuex.

The blue line is the iefeience ieflection without inteilayei.

The ieu line is the ieflection with inteilayei.

The ieu cuive as a minimum.

This minimum is exactly at the value equal to squaie ioot of the piouuct of nu
anu n2.

In this example, by inclusion of a single inteilayei, the ieflection at the inteiface
can be ieuuceu fiom S8.8% uown to 22.9%.

0sing moie than one inteilayei, also calleu iefiactive inuex giauing, this
ieflection can be fuithei ieuuceu.

Anothei appioach is making use of constiuctive anu uestiuctive inteifeience of
light.

Light can be consiueieu as electiomagnetic waves.

Waves have the inteiesting piopeities that they can inteifeie with each-othei.

Waves can be supei imposeu.
As uemonstiateu in this animation.

So in the case of light the amplituue of the electiic fielu of the wave A anu B at
ceitain position x,y,z at time t aie supei imposeu.

It means that the iesulting amplituue of wave A+B can be laigei oi smallei than
the oiiginal wave A anu wave B.

When two waves A anu B aie tiaveling in the same uiiection anu aie in phase,
the iesulting amplituue is laigei than foi a single wave.

This situation is calleu constiuctive inteifeience anu is shown on the left.

When waves A anu B aie in antiphase the amplituue of the iesulting wave is
equal to zeio. This situation is shown on the iight anu is calleu uestiuctive
inteifeience.

0ne can uesign an anti-ieflection coating baseu on this piinciple. Look at this
animation.

Again, we have placeu an inteilayei between two meuia.

The gieen wave shows the ieflection back fiom the fiist inteiface anu the ieu
wave shows the wave, which is ieflecteu back fiom the seconu inteiface.

If we look at the two waves coupleu out of this system, they appeai to be in
antiphase.

As a iesult the total amplituue of the electiic fielu of the outgoing wave is smallei
anu the total iiiauiance coupleu out of the system is smallei as well.

The maximum uestiuctive inteifeience occuis when the piouuct of the iefiactive
inuex anu thickness of the inteilayei is equal to the wavelength uiviueu by foui.

0i in othei woius, the thickness is the wavelength uiviueu by 4 times the
iefiactive on the coating.

0sing an antiieflection coating baseu on inteifeience means that the typical
length scale

of the inteilayei thickness must be in the oiuei of the wavelength.

A last anu uiffeient appioach foi antiieflection is using textuieu inteiface.

The length scale of the textuieu featuies is laigei than the typical wavelength of
light.

The ieflection anu tiansmission of the light iays aie ueteimineu by the Fiesnel
equations anu Snell's law.

The textuiing helps to enhance the coupling of light into the layei.

Foi example, foi light that is peipenuiculai inciuent, light that is ieflecteu at the
textuieu suiface, can be ieflecteu at angles in which the tiajectoiy of the light iay
is inciuent somewheie else on the inteifaces.

Beie pait of the light will be tiansmitteu in to the layei anu effectively less light
will be effectively ieflecteu in iefeience to an inteiface that woulu be flat.

Summaiizeu, we have uiscusseu thiee types of anti-ieflection measuie, a
Rayleigh film, anti-ieflection coating baseu on uestiuctive inteifeience anu
enhanceu incoupling of light uue to scatteiing at textuieu inteifaces.

Seconuly, if the absoibei layei is not thick enough to absoib all the light, pait of
the light will be tiansmitteu.

As the absoiption coefficients aie laigei in the blue spectial pait, this usually
plays a iole in the ieu to infiaieu pait of the solai spectium.

The light tiansmitteu can be ieflecteu back a so-calleu back ieflectoi.

Some of the light can also be absoibeu at the back contact mateiials.

This can again be consiueieu as a paiasitic absoiption loss.

In week S we will uiscuss thin film solai cells, wheie back ieflectois anu light
scatteiing unuei angles staits to play an impoitant iole.

Foi these type of solai cells you woulu like to scattei the light back unuei the
ciitical angle.

I will explain the impoitance of the ciitical angle heie.

Consiuei a single film of absoibei mateiial with a highei iefiactive inuex than its
suiiounuings.

Foi some magic ieason, which we foi the moment ignoie, the light is scatteieu
unuei a ceitain angle into the film.

The light is scatteiing between the two inteifaces uown anu up between the two
inteifaces.

In the iueal case, you woulu like to have all light tiappeu in the absoibei layei,
making the absoiption path length so long that all light is absoibeu.

0nfoitunately, at eveiy inteinal ieflection pait of the light is tiansmitteu out of
the film.

Bowevei, this is not the case when theie is an total inteinal ieflection.

Fiom the Fiesnel equations we know that above a ciitical angle the inteinal
ieflection becomes 1uu%.

This means that if the light is scatteieu in to the film above a ciitical angle the
light woulu be tiappeu.

The ciitical angle is a function of the iefiactive inuex foi the both meuia. If we
consiuei silicon anu aii this ciitical angle is iathei small 1S.4 uegiees.

Bowevei, absoibei layeis aie usually confineu between suppoiting layeis.

If we woulu consiuei glass, with a iefiactive inuex of 1.S, the ciitical angle
becomes 2u.4 uegiees.

If we consiuei Zn0, a typical tianspaient conuuctive oxiue we finu a ciitical angle
of Su.S uegiees.

In the coming weeks we will uiscuss vaiious tiicks to scattei the light unuei
angles in to the absoibei layei.

Beie you an example of scatteiing at micioscopic textuie, which enhance the
absoiption path length in the absoibei layei.

This week we have leaineu some impoitant concepts.

We have uiscusseu how we ueteimine the peifoimance of a solai cell using the
exteinal paiameteis.

In auuition, we have uiscusseu some impoitant uesign iules.

Next week we shall uiscuss the most uominant Pv technologies in the maiket:

Ciystalline silicon.

See you next week.