APS March Meeting 2010
Volume 55, Number 2
Monday–Friday, March 15–19, 2010;
Portland, Oregon
Session Z4: Plasmonics Applications
11:15 AM–2:15 PM,
Friday, March 19, 2010
Room: Oregon Ballroom 204
Sponsoring
Unit:
FIAP
Chair: Ernesto Marinero, Hitachi Research Center-San Jose
Abstract ID: BAPS.2010.MAR.Z4.1
Abstract: Z4.00001 : Plasmonics for Photovoltaics*
11:15 AM–11:51 AM
Preview Abstract
Abstract
Author:
Harry Atwater
(California Institute of Technology)
Photovoltaics is transcending its former status as an elegant yet
expensive
boutique energy technology, and is developing the potential to
significantly
impact energy supply. Reaching this ultimate goal requires a
reduction in
the cost per Watt of generated electricity, which motivates both
increased
conversion efficiency and reduction in material utilization. Both
are
facilitated by enhancing the optical absorption in solar cell
active layers.
I will describe a plasmonic photovoltaic design approach in which
metallic
nanostructures can couple sunlight into guided modes of thin
absorber films,
enhancing photoabsorption and photocurrent.
Recent progress has enabled quantitative understanding of enhanced
absorption in plasmonic absorber structures. Full-field
electromagnetic
simulations are used to calculate spatially and spectrally-resolved
photocurrents in plasmonic photovoltaic devices, which can be
compared
quantitatively with measured solar cell spectral response.
Semi-analytic
multiple scattering models also yield insights about scattering
into guided
and free space modes, and losses from parasitic metallic absorption.
Experimentally we have observed short-circuit current and efficiency
enhancements under AM1.5G solar irradiation for thin GaAs
plasmonic solar
cells. We will also discuss recent results for enhancement of
absorption and
photocurrent in thin film amorphous Si solar cells, which feature
nanoscale
plasmonic structures fabricated by nanoimprint lithography that
outperform
previously-designed light trapping structures for amorphous
silicon cells.
Finally, I will describe optical design of light scattering
structures that
are capable of exceeding previously anticipated absorption
limits. Attention
to fundamental light-matter interaction physics enables design of
solar
cells whose absorption surpasses `classical' light trapping
limits for
planar textured sheet absorbers, enabling new thin solar cell
designs.
*Support by the US Department of Energy is gratefully acknowledged.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2010.MAR.Z4.1