Performance enhancement of thin film solar cell based on extraordinary transmission

A novel approach based on the extraordinary transmission is proposed to improve the photovoltaic properties of thin film solar cells. In this approach, a perforated gold film with a periodic array of square holes is embedded inside the absorber layer of the solar cell at an optimum depth. The gold film also serves the purpose of an electrode to take dc output. The transmission of light through the film takes place due to the extraordinary transmission which leads to significant absorption increase in the absorber layer. To achieve the optimal response the periodicity of holes is varied and the corresponding solar cell parameters including short-circuit current and efficiencies are calculated. Here, we report that the increased absorption of solar energy gives almost twofold enhancement in short-circuit current density and optical conversion efficiency of the solar cell. The investigation is performed using finite difference time domain (FDTD) computational method.