Computational assessment of photon recycling in ultra-thin GaAs solar cells

The impact of photon recycling on the photovoltaic performance of ultra-thin GaAs cells is assessed by rigorous quantum kinetic simulation that considers finite size effects on both, optical and electronic states. It is found that the presence of a gold reflector – while increasing the absorptance of incident light – quenches the V
OC
enhancement from ∼80 mV in a reflector-free device to ∼20 mV due to parasitic losses from surface plasmon resonances. Introduction of an optical buffer layer mitigates both, plasmonic enhancement of radiative recombination and parasitic losses, and increases ∆V
OC
to ∼40 mV.