Optical performance analysis of inkjet-textured multicrystalline silicon solar cells using angular distribution matrices

New techniques to form honeycomb textures on multicrystalline silicon surfaces for enhanced light capture in solar cells are frequently reported. This paper investigates the optical properties of such textures fabricated by inkjet patterning and compares the inkjet-patterned honeycomb-textures to planar surfaces and the more conventional, industrial iso-textures. A novel geometrical modelling method that uses matrices to describe the angular distribution of light as it interacts with the silicon surface was used to simulate the absorption and optical losses for silicon wafers using the three morphologies on their front surface. The inkjet-fabricated textures were demonstrated to result in enhanced absorption over planar surfaces, and to perform at least as well as industrial iso-textures for cell structures with a rear diffused reflector and with a rear surface with unity specular internal reflection. Options for further performance improvements and advantages over iso-textures are discussed.