Broadband absorption enhancement in randomly positioned silicon nanowire arrays for solar cell applications

In this Letter, the optical properties of randomly positioned silicon nanowire arrays are studied. The result shows that position randomization with a filling ratio larger than 36% renders better absorptance over a broadband ranging from 300 to 1130 nm compared to regular structures. The ultimate efficiency of a 48% filling ratio position randomized nanowire structure is 13.4% higher compared to the optimized regularly arranged nanowire structure with the same thickness. The absorptance enhancement of random structures is attributed to lowered reflectance, more supported resonant modes, and broadening of existing resonance.