Optical absorption losses in metal layers used in thin film solar cells

0354029 - FZÚ 2011 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
Remeš, Zdeněk - Holovský, Jakub - Purkrt, Adam - Ižák, Tibor - Poruba, Aleš - Vaněček, Milan - Dagkaldiran, Ü. - Yates, H.M. - Evans, P. - Sheel, D.W.
Optical absorption losses in metal layers used in thin film solar cells.
Physica Status Solidi A. Roč. 207, č. 9 (2010), s. 2170-2173. ISSN 1862-6300. E-ISSN 1862-6319
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT LC510; GA ČR GA202/09/0417
EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 38885 - SE-POWERFOIL
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521
Keywords : solar cells * PDS * dielectric function * Landau-Lifshitz
Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism
Impact factor: 1.458, year: 2010

We apply optical transmittance & reflectance spectroscopy, photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS) and laser calorimetry (LC) to evaluate optical absorption losses at rough interface between thin conductive oxide (TCO) and metal films used as backreflectors and electrical contacts in thin film solar cells. The paper proposes a simple method how to model the dielectric function of the rough metal layer used in thin film solar cells. We show that the rough metal layer optically behaves as a semi-infinite layer with modified dielectric function calculated by Landau-Lifshitz-Looyenga model from the dielectric function of a smooth metal, the dielectric function of TCO and one unknown parameter that needs to be fitted. This greatly simplifies modelling the optical properties of thin film solar cells.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0193121