Wideband enhancement of infrared absorption in a direct band-gap semiconductor by using nonabsorptive pyramids.

Efficient trapping of the light in a photon absorber or a photodetector can improve its performance and reduce its cost. In this paper we investigate two designs for light-trapping in application to infrared absorption. Our numerical simulations demonstrate that nonabsorptive pyramids either located on top of an absorbing film or having embedded absorbing rods can efficiently enhance the absorption in the absorbing material. A spectrally averaged absorptance of 83% is achieved compared to an average absorptance of 28% for the optimized multilayer structure that has the same amount of absorbing material. This enhancement is explained by the coupled-mode theory. Similar designs can also be applied to solar cells.