  With the practical efficiency of the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell
approaching its theoretical limit, pushing conversion efficiencies even higher
now relies on reducing every type of power loss that can occur within the
device. Limiting optical losses is therefore critical and requires effective
management of incident photons in terms of how they interact with the device.
Ultimately, photon management within a PV cell means engineering the device and
constituent materials to maximize photon absorption within the active
semiconductor and therefore reduce the number of photons lost through other
means, most notably reflection and parasitic absorption. There have been great
advancements in the front and the rear side photon management techniques in
recent years. This review aims to discuss these advancements and compare the
various approaches, not only in terms of increases in photogenerated current,
but also their compatibility with different PV cell architectures and potential
trade-offs, like increased surface recombination or scalability for high-volume
manufacturing. In this review, a comprehensive discussion of a wide variety of
the front and the rear side photon management structures are presented with
suggestions to improve the already achieved performance further. This review is
unique because it not only presents the recent development in photon management
techniques, but also offer through analysis of these techniques and pathways to
improve further.
