Enhanced Optical Absorption in an Ultra-thin Textured Solar Cell Using Nanosphere Natural Photolithography

We recently demonstrated an ultra-thin solar cell with increased radiation tolerance as compared to a traditionally thick absorber counterpart. However, as the active region of the device was reduced so was the absorption with respect to state of the art devices. Therefore, we have implemented nanosphere natural photolithography to fabricate ordered and random arrays of micropillar structures leading to enhanced light absorption within an ultra-thin solar cell. We will discuss the fabrication process and illustrate the effectiveness of integrating light trapping structures within an ultra-thin solar cell design.