Computational Modeling of Silicon Nanostructures for Photovoltaic Application

Gains in photovoltaic cell efficiency have the potential to allow solar power to increasingly become a prominent source of electrical power. One source of gain is from surface texturing and nanostructures such as nanowires, which increase optical absorption.;Computational modeling is an excellent tool for design and characterization of optical devices. It allows for the investigation of a wide range of dielectric structures of multiple shapes and sizes, which saves significant time and money over building and testing each of a range of devices. It also allows engineers to design fanciful new types of structures and test them to see which are worth fabrication and further investigation; to be imaginative without being limited by the time and budget constraints of production.;Branched nanowires deliver improved absorption over both planar silicon photovoltaic cells and silicon nanowires, which may increase device efficiency because of the additional photons captured.;Parameter studies were performed on standard BNW and novel designs to determine an optimized geometry for broadband optical absorption.;Some branched nanowires exhibit photonic crystalline behavior. This may create a complete 3-dimensional band gap.