In this work, we present next-generation solar cells based on GaAs 3-D nanostructures compared to conventional 2-D approaches as a path to low-cost, high-efficiency photovoltaics. Arrays of GaAs nanopillars are capable of waveguiding light into the absorbing semiconductor, reaching broadband absorption values close to unity, with only a fraction of material utilized in planar solar cells. Furthermore, GaAs is a direct-bandgap compound semiconductor thus requiring only ~ 1μm of material to absorb most of the above-bandgap photons. In-situ surface passivation to limit non-radiative recombination and optical management are both exploited in the practical devices presented. Optical focusing phenomena arising from the dome-shaped morphology of the top transparent contact are discussed and modeled through finite-difference time-domain numerical simulations. Comparisons are made in terms of photocurrent density-voltage (JV) characteristics (1sun, AM 1.5 conditions) and external quantum efficiency.
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