Waveguide-Imprinted Slim Polymer Films: Beam Steering Coatings for Solar Cells

We report that transparent polymer coatings imprinted with tilted planar waveguides significantly reduce optical loss caused by the scattering of incident light by front metal contacts of solar cells. A periodic array of planar waveguides oriented at specific angles with respect to the film’s surface normal efficiently captures and steers incident light away from contacts and, in this way, suppresses scattering. These beam steering films are …