Angular constraint on light-trapping absorption enhancement in solar cells

TL;DR

This paper establishes a fundamental angular constraint on light trapping in solar cells, linking absorption enhancement limits to the number of resonances supported by the absorber, which is crucial for improving solar energy efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a general angular constraint on absorption enhancement, connecting it to the resonances supported by the absorber, advancing theoretical understanding of light trapping.

Findings

Upper limit for angular integration of absorption enhancement factors

The limit depends on the number of resonances supported by the absorber

Provides fundamental insight into light trapping constraints

Abstract

Light trapping for solar cells can reduce production cost and improve energy conversion efficiency. Understanding some of the basic theoretical constraints on light trapping is therefore of fundamental importance. Here, we develop a general angular constraint on the absorption enhancement in light trapping. We show that there is an upper limit for the angular integration of absorption enhancement factors. This limit is determined by the number of accessible resonances supported by an absorber.