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Using autocloning effects to develop broad-bandwidth, omnidirectional antireflection structures for silicon solar cells

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Abstract

In this study, we used the autocloning effect on pyramid structures to develop broad-bandwidth, omnidirectional antireflection structures for silicon solar cells. The angular dependence of reflectance on several pyramid structures was systematically investigated. The deposition of three-layer autocloned films reduced the refractive index gap between air and silicon, resulting in an increase in the amount of transmitted light and a decrease in the total light escaping. The average reflectance decreased dramatically to ca. 2–3% at incident angles from 0 to 60° for both sub-wavelength– and micrometer–scale pyramid structures. The measured reflectance of the autocloned structure was less than 4% in the wavelength range from 400 to 1000 nm for incident angles from 0 to 60°. Therefore, the autocloning technique, combined with optical thin films and optical gradient structures, is a practical and compatible method for the fabrication of broad-bandwidth, omnidirectional antireflection structures on silicon solar cells.

©2010 Optical Society of America

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Figures (8)

Fig. 1
Fig. 1 Schematic representation of the autocloning technique. (a) Geometric setup of the simulation in the RCWA method. (b) Process flow for the fabrication of autocloned multilayer films on textured structures.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2 (a) Reflectance spectra of closed-packed Si pyramids having periods of 0.1, 0.5, and 5 μm. (b) Average reflectance of close-packed Si pyramids of various periods.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3 (a) Average reflectance of Si pyramids having periods of 0.5 and 5 μm as a function of the incident angle. (b-d) Reflectance spectra of (b) a single-layer Si3N4 film, (c) a gradient index of three-layer films, and (d) a Si nanotip structure at incident angles of 0 (blue line) and 60° (red line). Insets to (b-d): Schematic representations of the three kinds of antireflective structures.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4 (a, b) Schematic representations of (a) multilayer optical thin films and (b) multilayer thin films deposited using the autocloning technique. (c) Cross-sectional SEM image of the autocloned films on a textured Si substrate. (d, e) Reflectance spectra of Si pyramid structures having periods of (d) 0.5 and (e) 5 μm, before (blue line) and after (red line) deposition of the three-layer autocloned films.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5 Average reflectance of Si pyramids having periods of (a) 0.5 and (b) 5 μm, before (black line) and after (red line) deposition of the three-layer autocloned films, plotted as a function of the incident angle.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6 3D-FDTD simulations of plane waves propagating into (a, b) Si pyramid structures having a period of 0.5 μm (a) at normal incidence and (b) at an incident angle of 45° and (c, d) autocloned films on pyramid structures having a period of 0.5 μm (c) at normal incidence and (d) at an incident angle of 45°.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7 (a–c) 3D-FDTD simulations of normal-incidence plane waves propagating into (a, b) autocloned films on Si pyramid structures having periods of (a) 5 and (b) 0.5 μm and (c) a nanotip structure having a period of 0.2 μm and a height of 1.6 μm. (d) Calculated power fluxes of an autocloned pyramid structure having a period of 0.5 μm (blue line) and of a nanotip structure having a period of 0.2 μm (red line), plotted as a function of the position below the bottom of the AR structure.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8 Measured average reflectance of Si pyramid structures in the absence (black line) and presence (red line) of autocloned films, plotted as a function of the incident angle.

Equations (2)

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R a v g ( θ ) = 400 n m 1000 n m R ( λ , θ ) d λ
R t o t a l a v g = 0 60 R a v g ( θ ) d θ
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