Plasmon-induced enhancement of optical absorption in silicon thin films due to embedded silver nano-pillars

In the literature, plasmonic nanostructure localization outside the silicon-based solar cells is mainly considered. In our paper, an array of rear-side–located silver nano-cylinders incorporated into a Si thin film is shown to ensure a significant enhancement of the absorbed power density in the near-infrared spectral range. Several different geometrical configurations ensuring high extinction enhancement factors are numerically investigated and compared in view of their application in silicon-based solar cells