Effective light trapping in polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells by means of rear localised surface plasmons

Significant photocurrent enhancement has been achieved for evaporated solid-phase-crystallized polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells on glass, due to light trapping provided by Ag nanoparticles located on the rear silicon surface of the cells. This configuration takes advantage of the high scattering cross-section and coupling efficiency of rear-located particles formed directly on the optically dense silicon layer. We report short-circuit current enhancement of 29% due to Ag nanoparticles, increasing to 38% when combined with a detached back surface reflector. Compared to conventional light trapping schemes for these cells, this method achieves 1/3 higher short-circuit current.