Photonic crystals have been widely applied to improve the efficiency of solar cells due to its capability to manipulate photon transmission. Both theoretical and experimental research have shown that photonic crystals can significantly improve the absorption and conversion efficiency of solar cells.Solar cells that have photonic crystals back reflectors, intermediate reflectors, and window layers have higher photoelectric conversion efficiency. In this paper, the state-of-the-art applications of PCs in solar cells are summarized. Various fabrication methods for photonic crystals and their associated performance are discussed.
