NOVELTY - Manufacturing organic or inorganic photovoltaic subcells or multijunction stacks, involves: combining transparent nanopatterned metallic structures or thin-film as contacts or electrodes, where subcell(s) or multijunction stack(s) are spectrally or optically tuned; followed by engineering to incorporate features to operate independently as solar cell, or deposition on substrate. At least some of solar cells or modules include nanopatterned metallic coating(s) that act as light concentrating element, absorber and/or antireflective coating comprising layer(s) of dielectric materials.    USE - For forming organic or inorganic photovoltaic subcells or multijunction stacks in the manufacture of solar cells, and photovoltaic and thermal solar harvesting devices (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The absorption properties of photovoltaic subcells or multijunction stacks are enhanced through conductivity of transparent member contacts. The nanostructured metallic coating(s) on solar cell substrates improves electrical output and overall performance. The correct engineering or design and positioning of nanostructured metallic coatings or materials is used to enhance some or all of the functions for incremental improvements in solar cell performance or efficiency. The coatings increase performance efficiency of commercial solar cells, where if the coatings are designed for and deposited directly on specific solar cells, they further increase performance efficiencies. The use of the nanostructured metallo-dielectric coatings to boost the efficiency of solar harvesting devices (including photovoltaic and thermal devices); the coatings generate higher cell efficiencies when compared to a cell with a multilayer dielectric anti-reflective coating due to enhanced light concentration and scattering effects; effectively reduces back-reflection of light over a broad wavelength range; promote forward scattering of light into oblique directions that more strongly interact with active medium such as waveguide modes in thin solar cells; enable light concentration i.e. strong near-field enhancement in those regions of cell where light absorption most efficiently produces current e.g. in the pn-junction or near a donor acceptor interface; enable local light concentration and scattering into oblique angles for coupling into waveguide modes; allow for assembly of many solar cells in modules or arrays and mounted, encapsulated or enclosed in glass or other light transparent or transparent conductive oxide (TCO) materials for commercial deployment and installation; encase the cell and reduce reflection and permits more light to reach the active layers of the cell and harvest energy; act as superior broadband anti-reflection coating as well as a light scattering and light concentration layers; the moth eye structure formed can be used as it is a highly non-reflective with orderly nanostructured surface variations that allows absorption rather than reflection of incoming light; at least the operation of a metamaterials coating does not rely upon plasmonic effects and utilizes wide variety of earth abundant metals; and a graded index coating results that minimizes reflections over a broad wavelength range; the presence of nanoscale inclusions also induces beneficial light scattering and concentration effects, which are not found in layered dielectric antireflective coatings. The method also allows for simulation, optimization and design for net overall absorption of a thin film solar cell over entire solar spectrum, in which improved light absorption in ultra-thin layers of active material leads directly to lower recombination currents, higher open circuit voltages, and higher conversion efficiencies, due to high near-fields surrounding nanostructures close to their surface plasmon resonance frequency and effective coupling to waveguide modes supported by active layers through an optimization of array properties. The metal particle geometry effectively concentrates light in its vicinity at frequencies near its surface plasmon resonance, where resonance frequency is critically dependant on particle geometry and its dielectric environment.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Manufacturing organic or inorganic photovoltaic subcells or multijunction stacks, involves: combining transparent nanopatterned metallic structures or thin-film as contacts or electrodes, where subcell(s) or multijunction stack(s) are spectrally or optically tuned; followed by engineering of resulting structure(s) to incorporate features and functions required to operate independently as a solar cell, or deposition on or combination with any substrate. At least some of solar cells or module constructions and installations include layers or stages materials to perform various functions; in which nanopatterned metallic coating(s) act as light concentrating element, absorber and/or antireflective coating comprising layer(s) of dielectric materials including organic, metallic, nonmetallic, metalorganic, inorganic materials, metamaterials, microstructures or nanostructured metallo-dielectric films. At least total thickness of metallo-dielectric stack is chosen to minimize back-reflection and increase coupling into cell, and includes metals exhibiting strong plasmonic resonances. At least some construction layers incorporate metallic or metallized composite materials for collection and conduction, electrodes and contacts, semiconductor structures, pn junctions, semiconductor-metal interfaces, dielectric films, silicon and silica thin films, anti-reflection coatings, glass or other light transparent or transparent conductive oxide (TCO) materials. At least some coatings are engineered to capture, absorb and radiate or reflect photons in infrared portion of solar spectrum not addressed by wavelength index or band gap of particular solar cell. At least some photons are radiated or reflected back into cell to promote photo-excitation of electrons. At least particle shape, size, choice of metal, spacing between particles and distance to substrate is optimized to enable specific goal. At least coating designs employ concepts and metamaterials comprised of deep subwavelength building blocks to enable the ultimate control over the flow of light. At least some of coatings are engineered to produce desired index variation above cell by altering metal fraction as a function of distance from substrate; to provide multilayer antireflective coating or moth eye structure exhibiting substantial reduction in light reflection over single layer antireflection coatings. At least some coatings provide local field enhancement, light scattering in waveguides, modes or paths for longer, or redirected photons in a coating; or act as antennas or receivers to capture light energy from solar or other sources. At least some structured nanoantennas are used to harvest electrical energy from optical, thermal or electromagnetic excitation.