Wet-Chemical Surface Texturing of Sputter-Deposited ZnO:Al Films as Front Electrode for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells
Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) play a major role as the front electrodes of thin-film silicon (Si) solar cells, as they can provide optical scattering and hence improved photon absorption inside the devices. In this paper we report on the surface texturing of aluminium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2015-01-01
|
| Series: | International Journal of Photoenergy |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/548984 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832559767305846784 |
|---|---|
| author | Xia Yan Selvaraj Venkataraj Armin G. Aberle |
| author_facet | Xia Yan Selvaraj Venkataraj Armin G. Aberle |
| author_sort | Xia Yan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) play a major role as the front electrodes of thin-film silicon (Si) solar cells, as they can provide optical scattering and hence improved photon absorption inside the devices. In this paper we report on the surface texturing of aluminium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al or AZO) films for improved light trapping in thin-film Si solar cells. The AZO films are deposited onto soda-lime glass sheets via pulsed DC magnetron sputtering. Several promising AZO texturing methods are investigated using diluted hydrochloric (HCl) and hydrofluoric acid (HF), through a two-step etching process. The developed texturing procedure combines the advantages of the HCl-induced craters and the smaller and jagged—but laterally more uniform—features created by HF etching. In the two-step process, the second etching step further enhances the optical haze, while simultaneously improving the uniformity of the texture features created by the HCl etch. The resulting AZO films show large haze values of above 40%, good scattering into large angles, and a surface angle distribution that is centred at around 30°, which is known from the literature to provide efficient light trapping for thin-film Si solar cells. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-61dff18bcc534f07837742f109c9fdca |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1110-662X 1687-529X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Photoenergy |
| spelling | doaj-art-61dff18bcc534f07837742f109c9fdca2025-02-03T01:29:13ZengWileyInternational Journal of Photoenergy1110-662X1687-529X2015-01-01201510.1155/2015/548984548984Wet-Chemical Surface Texturing of Sputter-Deposited ZnO:Al Films as Front Electrode for Thin-Film Silicon Solar CellsXia Yan0Selvaraj Venkataraj1Armin G. Aberle2Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, 7 Engineering Drive 1, 117574, SingaporeSolar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, 7 Engineering Drive 1, 117574, SingaporeSolar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, 7 Engineering Drive 1, 117574, SingaporeTransparent conductive oxides (TCOs) play a major role as the front electrodes of thin-film silicon (Si) solar cells, as they can provide optical scattering and hence improved photon absorption inside the devices. In this paper we report on the surface texturing of aluminium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al or AZO) films for improved light trapping in thin-film Si solar cells. The AZO films are deposited onto soda-lime glass sheets via pulsed DC magnetron sputtering. Several promising AZO texturing methods are investigated using diluted hydrochloric (HCl) and hydrofluoric acid (HF), through a two-step etching process. The developed texturing procedure combines the advantages of the HCl-induced craters and the smaller and jagged—but laterally more uniform—features created by HF etching. In the two-step process, the second etching step further enhances the optical haze, while simultaneously improving the uniformity of the texture features created by the HCl etch. The resulting AZO films show large haze values of above 40%, good scattering into large angles, and a surface angle distribution that is centred at around 30°, which is known from the literature to provide efficient light trapping for thin-film Si solar cells.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/548984 |
| spellingShingle | Xia Yan Selvaraj Venkataraj Armin G. Aberle Wet-Chemical Surface Texturing of Sputter-Deposited ZnO:Al Films as Front Electrode for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells International Journal of Photoenergy |
| title | Wet-Chemical Surface Texturing of Sputter-Deposited ZnO:Al Films as Front Electrode for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells |
| title_full | Wet-Chemical Surface Texturing of Sputter-Deposited ZnO:Al Films as Front Electrode for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells |
| title_fullStr | Wet-Chemical Surface Texturing of Sputter-Deposited ZnO:Al Films as Front Electrode for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wet-Chemical Surface Texturing of Sputter-Deposited ZnO:Al Films as Front Electrode for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells |
| title_short | Wet-Chemical Surface Texturing of Sputter-Deposited ZnO:Al Films as Front Electrode for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells |
| title_sort | wet chemical surface texturing of sputter deposited zno al films as front electrode for thin film silicon solar cells |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/548984 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xiayan wetchemicalsurfacetexturingofsputterdepositedznoalfilmsasfrontelectrodeforthinfilmsiliconsolarcells AT selvarajvenkataraj wetchemicalsurfacetexturingofsputterdepositedznoalfilmsasfrontelectrodeforthinfilmsiliconsolarcells AT armingaberle wetchemicalsurfacetexturingofsputterdepositedznoalfilmsasfrontelectrodeforthinfilmsiliconsolarcells |