In this study we develop an efficient light harvesting scheme that can enhance the efficiency of GaAs solar cells using self-assembled microspheres. Based on the scattering of the microspheres and the theory of photonic crystals, the path length can be increased. In addition, the self-assembly of microspheres is one of the simplest and the fastest methods with which to build a 2D periodic structure. The experimental results are confirmed by the use of a simulation in which a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is used to analyze the absorption and electric field of the 2D periodic structure. Both the results of the numerical simulations and the experimental results show an increase in the conversion power efficiency of GaAs solar cell of about 25% when 1 mu m microspheres were assembled on the surface of GaAs solar cells. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America
