Diffraction grating in conjunction with reduced thickness to increase efficiency of solar cells

摘要

This invention describes a method of making solar cells wherein the efficiency of the solar cell is enhanced by defining a diffraction grating either on top of the cell or at the bottom of the cell. The diffraction grating spacing is defined such that it bends one or more wavelengths of the incident radiation thereby making those wavelengths traverse in the direction of the plane of the device. The addition of a diffraction grating is done in conjunction with thinning down the cell such that the minority carriers generated (holes and electrons) have a higher probability of being collected. The combined effect of the diffraction grating and the reduced thickness in the solar cell increases the efficiency of the solar cell.