Rigorous modelling of light scattering in solar cells based on finite element method and Huygens' expansion.

Finite element method is coupled with Huygens' expansion to determine light intensity distribution of scattered light in solar cells and other optoelectronic devices. The rigorous foundation of the modelling enables calculation of the light intensity distribution at a chosen distance and surface of observation in chosen material in reflection or in transmission for given wavelength of the incident light. The calculation of scattering or anti-reflection properties is not limited to a single textured interface, but can be done above more complex structures with several scattering interfaces or even with particles involved.

Effect of substrate morphology slope distributions on light scattering, nc-Si:H film growth, and solar cell performance.

Thin-film silicon solar cells are often deposited on textured ZnO substrates. The solar-cell performance is strongly correlated to the substrate morphology, as this morphology determines light scattering, defective-region formation, and crystalline growth of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H). Our objective is to gain deeper insight in these correlations using the slope distribution, rms roughness (σ(rms)) and correlation length (lc) of textured substrates.