Plasmonic light-trapping in a-Si:H solar cells by front-side Ag nanoparticle arrays : a benchmarking study

A series of (n-i-p) a-Si:H solar cells with light-trapping by front-side plasmonic Ag nanoparticle arrays was compared to a reference without the plasmonic arrays as well as to a benchmark with a conventional textured back-side reflector for light-trapping. The external quantum efficiency of the solar cells was determined experimentally by spectral response measurements. The comparison gives a comprehensive snap-shot of the potential of front-side plasmonic light-trapping in a-Si:H solar cells for the array parameterization used in this study. Relative to the reference the plasmonic arrays lead to clearly enhanced light-trapping in the longer wavelength range (600-800nm). This enhancement is lower than the one achieved by the benchmark though, which is discussed in terms of further research perspectives.