Periodically multilayered planar optical concentrator for photovoltaic solar cells

A planar optical concentrator comprising a periodic multilayered isotropic dielectric material backed by a metallic surface-relief grating was theoretically examined for silicon photovoltaics. The concentrator was optimized using a differential evolution algorithm for solar-spectrum-integrated power-flux density. Further optimization was carried out for tolerance to variations in the incidence angle, spatial dimensions, and dielectric properties. The average electron-hole pair density in a silicon solar cell can be doubled, and the material costs substantially diminished by this concentrator, whose efficacy is due to the excitation of waveguide modes and multiple surface-plasmon-polariton waves in a broad spectral regime.