Analysis of thin-film silicon solar cells with white paint back reflectors

Abstract

In this work, we investigate the concept of transparent conductive oxide (TCO)/white paint (WP) back reflectors as an alternative to the conventional textured metal-based reflectors in thin-film silicon solar cells. The optical characterisation results show that WP back reflectors exhibit good reflectivity and excellent light scattering properties which can lead to enhanced light confinement within the thin absorber layers of the cell. To confirm this, ZnO:Al/WP reflectors with WP films of different pigment volume concentration and thickness are tested in thin-film amorphous silicon solar cells. The external quantum efficiency measurements indicate that by employing ZnO:Al/WP reflectors, good solar cell performance can be achieved, which is comparable to the performance of the cell with the conventional TCO/Ag reflector. Finally, optical simulations are employed to study the potential for further improvements in cell performance as a result of the optimisation of TCO/WP reflectors.