Absorption enhancing and passivating non-planar thin-film device architectures for copper indium gallium selenide photovoltaics

The sub-micrometer absorber regime is currently being explored to reduce materials usage and deposition time while simultaneously increasing device voltages due to increased generated carrier concentration. In order to realize these benefits, the absorption of photons must be maintained or even increased while avoiding detrimental recombination. Reported here are optoelectronic simulations that highlight photon and generated carrier management opportunities for improvement of thin film Cu(In
_x
Ga1-x)Se2 (CIGSe) device performance. Structures that could be created via either self-assembly, patterning by nanoimprint lithography, or a combination of both are predicted to significantly increase short circuit current density and open circuit voltage simultaneously.