Ultrathin InP annular nanohole arrays for efficient light absorption solar cells

This Letter proposes ultrathin InP films consisting of annular nanohole arrays (ANAs) for highly efficient solar cells. By tailoring the inner and outer radii of ANAs properly and combining antireflection coating (ZnO) and back-reflector (Ag), the photocurrent generated in the InP based dielectric-semiconductor-metal (DSM) configuration can be increased dramatically by 124.6% with respect to the planar solar cell of equal geometric thickness (100 nm). The fact that the DSM-ANA structure is able to harvest broadband and wide-angle incident light can be attributed to the excitation of leaky waveguide modes, Bloch modes, and surface plasmon polariton modes. This work provides a promising and feasible way to design and fabricate efficient ultrathin InP photovoltaic and other optoelectronic devices.This Letter proposes ultrathin InP films consisting of annular nanohole arrays (ANAs) for highly efficient solar cells. By tailoring the inner and outer radii of ANAs properly and combining antireflection coating (ZnO) and back-reflector (Ag), the photocurrent generated in the InP based dielectric-semiconductor-metal (DSM) configuration can be increased dramatically by 124.6% with respect to the planar solar cell of equal geometric thickness (100 nm). The fact that the DSM-ANA structure is able to harvest broadband and wide-angle incident light can be attributed to the excitation of leaky waveguide modes, Bloch modes, and surface plasmon polariton modes. This work provides a promising and feasible way to design and fabricate efficient ultrathin InP photovoltaic and other optoelectronic devices.