Abstract
Using up-conversion to modify the intensity distribution of the solar spectrum has the potential to increase the efficiency of a single junction solar cell beyond its band gap limit. This paper investigates the application of a silicon 2D photonic crystal to improve the efficiency of the up-conversion process in Er3+ doped YF3 thin films. The refractive index of the Er3+ doped YF3 film was found to be n = 1.4939 at 980 nm using ellipsometry. The optimum lattice constant and pillar radius were found to be a = 460 nm and r = 133 nm by modeling the band structure of the 2D photonic crystal using a 2D plane wave expansion method.
© 2013 Optical Society of America
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