Photonic crystals-based light-trapping approach in solar cells

Abstract Photovoltaics (PVs), the generation of electricity by the direct conversion of sunlight using solar cells, is considered to be one of the most promising energy choices for a sustainable future. However, its main limitations such as low efficiency and high cost need to be addressed for its broad practical application. Enhancing light-trapping is a key method to improve solar cell efficiency. Studies show that the light-trapping photon management strategy based on photonic crystals is successful in the improvement of efficiency and cost reduction. This chapter therefore consider the light-trapping in PCs and briefly discusses the ray-optic and wave-optic theory of light trapping and absorption enhancements in 2D and 3D photonic crystal (PC) structures.