Optics and Photonics Society of Iran

In this paper, optical absorption of rectangular a-Si/c-Si solar cells is investigated. Each Nanowire is consisted of a thin layer of a-si, which surrounded by c-si layers. The proposed structure has a very simple geometry compared to other nanowire solar cells, while its absorption rate is comparable to very complex structures. Periodic and semi-periodic rectangular nanowires are used to achieve broadband absorption. In order to maximize the short-circuit current density of the proposed nanowire solar cells; particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm has been performed. The results show 96% increase in short-circuit current density compared to the optimally thin film structure.