Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 9, 2026

Polycrystalline Silicon Thin-film Solar cells with Plasmonic-enhanced Light-trapping
Published on: July 2, 2012
Light scattering properties of self-organized nanostructured substrates for thin-film solar cells
C Mennucci1, S Del Sorbo2, S Pirotta2,3
1Department of Physics, University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, I-16146 Genova, Italy.
Abstract:
We investigate the scattering properties of novel kinds of nano-textured substrates, fabricated in a self-organized fashion by defocused ion beam sputtering. These substrates provide strong and broadband scattering of light and can be useful for applications in thin-film solar cells. In particular, we characterize the transmitted light in terms of haze and angle-resolved scattering, and we compare our results with those obtained for the commonly employed Asahi-U texture. The results indicate that the novel substrate has better scattering properties compared to reference Asahi-U substrates. We observe super-Lambertian light scattering behavior in selected spectral and angular regions due to the peculiar morphology of the nano-textured interface, which combines high aspect ratio pseudo random structures with a one-dimensional periodic pattern. The enhancement of light absorption observed in a prototype thin film semiconductor absorber grown on nano-textured glass with respect to an Asahi-U substrate further confirms the superior light trapping properties of the novel substrate.
More Related Videos
08:45Integration of Light Trapping Silver Nanostructures in Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells by Transfer Printing
Published on: November 9, 2015
06:05Using Neutron Spin Echo Resolved Grazing Incidence Scattering to Investigate Organic Solar Cell Materials
Published on: January 15, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Organic Compounds
Scatter Plot
Levels of Organization
Molecules Are Composed of Atoms, and Biomolecules Are Assembled from Molecules:
The most basic levels include atoms, molecules, and biomolecules. Atoms, the smallest unit of ordinary matter, are composed of a nucleus and electrons. Molecules...
Light Acquisition
Transgenic Organisms
Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter