Potential of photocurrent improvement in mc-Si:H solar cells with TCO substrates structured by direct laser interference patterning

Thin film solar cells based on weak absorbers like hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (mc-Si:H) need an effective light management to maximize light absorption. In this work, the authors study numerically the light trapping capability of boron doped zinc oxide (ZnO:B)-coated substrates textured by direct laser interference patterning (DLIP). The geometric parameters of the simulated patterns are taken from measurements of DLIP processed samples with sine-like grooves. The results suggest that this technology is suitable to enhance the photocurrent by 15-35% of mc-Si:H solar cells deposited on ZnO:B using texture periods between 0.8 and 1.5mm and a 2mm active layer.