Optimized absorption of solar radiations in nano-structured thin films of crystalline silicon via a genetic algorithm

We developed a genetic algorithm to achieve optimal absorption of solar radiation in nano-structured thin films of crystalline silicon (c-Si) for applications in photovoltaics. The device includes on the front side a periodic array of inverted pyramids, with conformal passivation layer (a-Si:H or AlOx) and anti-reflection coating (SiNx). The device also includes on the back side a passivation layer (a-Si:H) and a flat reflector (ITO and Ag). The geometrical parameters of the inverted pyramids as well as the thickness of the different layers must be adjusted in order to maximize the absorption of solar radiations in the c-Si. The genetic algorithm enables the determination of optimal solutions that lead to high performances by evaluating only a reduced number of parameter combinations. The results achieved by the genetic algorithm for a 40μm thick c-Si lead to short-circuit currents of 37 mA/cm2 when a-Si:H is used for the front-side passivation and 39.1 mA/cm2 when transparent AlOx is used instead. © (2015) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).