Index tuned nanoparticle coating on dielectric film for improved photon transmission and enhanced performance for silicon solar cells

Design and simulation of nanoparticle layer on single layer antireflection coating on silicon is presented in this paper. It is shown that with a proper choice of bottom layer film dielectric material and a top monolayer of dielectric nanoparticles with appropriate area coverage and particle size , photon transmission of more than 94% of the incident photons in the solar AM 1.5 spectrum can be achieved. The improvement in the short circuit current due to the improved photon transmission is more than 50% compared to bare silicon and 6% compared to standard silicon nitride antireflection coating. The corresponding increase in crystalline silicon solar cell efficiency is more than 50% and 3% respectively.