Patent ID: 8120027

Claim:
A semiconductor solar cell or photodetector having improved incident radiation absorption, comprising: a first silicon substrate having a substantially planar first surface available to the incident radiation and a textured second surface; a layer disposed at said first silicon substrate first surface, said layer being transparent to visible light and infrared wavelengths of the incident radiation and internally reflective to said infrared wavelengths of radiation scattered within said first silicon substrate; a textured layer disposed at said first silicon substrate textured second surface, said textured layer and first silicon substrate textured second surface forming a diffusive radiation scattering layer for infrared wavelengths of radiation; a reflecting layer disposed at said textured layer and spaced apart from said second surface by said textured layer, whereby said infrared wavelengths of radiation are returned through said textured layer toward said first silicon substrate; a second silicon substrate having a substantially planar second silicon substrate first surface available to the incident radiation and a textured second silicon substrate second surface, said second silicon substrate textured second surface disposed adjacent said layer disposed at said first silicon substrate first surface; a second substrate layer disposed at said second silicon substrate first surface, said second substrate layer being anti-reflective to said wavelengths of the incident radiation; and a second silicon substrate second textured layer disposed at said second silicon substrate textured second surface, said second silicon substrate textured layer being an antireflective layer for infrared wavelengths of radiation.