Forward-scattering efficiency （FSE） is first proposed when an Ag nanoparticle serves as the light-trapping structure for thin-film （TF） solar cells because the Ag nanoparticle’s light-trapping efficiency lies on the light-scattering direction of metal nanoparticles.Based on FSE analysis of Ag nanoparticles with radii of 53 and 88 nm,the forward-scattering spectra and light-trapping efficiencies are calculated.The contributions of dipole and quadrupole modes to light-trapping effect are also analyzed quantitatively.When the surface coverage of Ag nanoparticles is 5%,light-trapping efficiencies are 15.5% and 32.3%,respectively,for 53and 88-nm Ag nanoparticles.Results indicate that the plasmon quadrupole mode resonance of Ag nanoparticles could further enhance the light-trapping effect for TF solar cells.
A novel interconnected structure consisting of a conventional polyimide layer(PM) and an additional SiO2/TiAu/SiO2 sandwich multilayer has been firstly proposed for improving the performance of GaAs micro-solar cell array.The specific experimental investigations on the array with 108 unit cells have demonstrated that the novel structure of PM/SiO2/TiAu/SiO2 can effectively enhance the open-circuit voltage from 75 to 84 V and the fill factor from 35% to 57%.The performance improvement of our devices can be attributed to two aspects.Firstly,the TiAu shielding film can prevent the incident light from penetrating into the GaAs substrate so as to induce the serious substrate leakage current.Secondly,the compact texture of SiO2 in the novel structure can reduce the perimere recombination due to the crackle or shrinkage of PM.It is indicated that the novel structure can distinctly reduce the leakage current and improve output characteristic of micro-solar cells.
