Silicon surface texturing by reactive ion etching

• Autorzy: Dekkers H. F. W. , Duerinckx F. , Szlufcik J. , Nijs J.
• Konferencja: The E-MRS European Conference on Photovoltaics ; ( 25.10-27.10.1999)
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

The high reflectivity of bare silicon substrates is reduced by roughening the surface with reactive ion etching (RIE). Silicon samples are immersed in a plasma chamber and ion assisted etching produces a high density of pits across the surface of the silicon. The obtained reflectivity is only slightly dependent on grain orientations and so RIE offers a way to effectively texture multi - crystalline substrates that cannot be easily textured using the methods commonly employed for single crystalline silicon. Typical reactive ion etching techniques produce a silicon surface with a very low reflectivity (black silicon). However, such surfaces increase carrier recombination and so the efficiency of the resulting solar cells is low. By adjusting the process conditions, the height and width of the surface features can be controlled to produce a surface that is sufficiently rough to couple light into the cell. Under specific conditions, etching pits are formed by intersections of {111} - crystallographic planes. The RIE selectivity for those planes causes a texture with {111} - surfaces and slows down the RIE process when this texture is formed. This effect causes a self-adjusting uniformity of texture over the whole substrate what might be of a use in bath reactors. Following the RIE process, short wet chemical etching removes the ion damaged silicon layer that is responsible for defect recombination of carries. The etched surfaces are described using scanning electron microscopy and finished solar cells are characterised with spectral response.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

solar cell; texturisation; reflectivity; optimised structure

• Wydawca: Stowarzyszenie Elektryków Polskich ; Polska Akademia Nauk ; Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna im. Jarosława Dąbrowskiego
• Czasopismo: Opto-Electronics Review
• Rocznik: 2000
• Tom: Vol. 8, No. 4
• Strony: 311--316
• Opis fizyczny: Bibliogr. 12 poz.

Twórcy

autor

Dekkers H. F. W.

autor

Duerinckx F.

autor

Szlufcik J.

autor

Nijs J.

• Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC), 75 Kapeldreef, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium,