Argon plasma treatment of silicon nitride (SiN) for improved antireflection coating on c-Si solar cells

Ghosh, Hemanta; Mitra, Suchismita; Saha, Hiranmay; Datta, Swapan K.; Banerjee, Chandan

doi:10.1016/j.mseb.2016.11.003

Cited by 17 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Fresnel reflection at the air–substrate interface of a solar cell inevitably occurs because of the contrast of refractive index between air and transparent substrates, which is one of the most important optical losses for photovoltaic conversion efficiency. , More precisely, the generally used low iron glasses or plastic substrates with refractive indices ( n ) around 1.5 show typically visible light transmittance of ∼92% at normal incidence, − resulting in 8–10% reflection loss of the normal incident light, and this value can go up to 30% if all incident angles are taken into considerations . One of the most feasible methods to virtually eliminate Fresnel loss is to deposit an antireflection coating (ARC) on the transparent substrate. ,, For example, introducing multiple layers of higher and lower reflective indices alternatively with destructive interference, depositing a stack of homogeneous ultrathin transparent layers with graded index profiles to remove the step difference in refractive indices, or fabricating wavelength scale structured ARC to guide the incident light propagation toward the device. ,− …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…9 Fresnel reflection at the air−substrate interface of a solar cell inevitably occurs because of the contrast of refractive index between air and transparent substrates, which is one of the most important optical losses for photovoltaic conversion efficiency. 22,23 More precisely, the generally used low iron glasses or plastic substrates with refractive indices (n) around 1.5 show typically visible light transmittance of ∼92% at normal incidence, 24−26 resulting in 8−10% reflection loss of the normal incident light, 27 and this value can go up to 30% if all incident angles are taken into considerations. 28 most feasible methods to virtually eliminate Fresnel loss is to deposit an antireflection coating (ARC) on the transparent substrate.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Highly Stable and Efficient Mesoporous and Hollow Silica Antireflection Coatings for Perovskite Solar Cells

Wang

Zhang

Yang³

et al. 2020

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

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Fresnel reflection at the air–substrate interface of a solar cell inevitably occurs causing an important optical loss in photovoltaic conversion efficiency. Transparent materials with a low reflective index are prerequisites for efficient antireflection coating (ARC) to virtually eliminate Fresnel loss but are not readily available. Herein, we developed two methods to reduce the refractive index of the silica by incorporating hollow or mesoporous nanostructures into the film. The application of structured silica ARC in perovskite solar cells can effectively reduce specular light reflection in the broad wavelength range, leading to a significant efficiency enhancement from 19% to above 20% and a clear reduction of the dependence of power conversion on the incidence angle of light. Furthermore, the high hydrophobicity and chemical inertness of the silica render the substrate a self-protection property against dust and water uptake and excellent long-term stability under outdoor operational conditions. Therefore, the solution-processed silica ARCs provide an efficient and cost-effective way to maximize light harvesting in perovskite solar cells, possessing prominent application potential to reduce the levelized cost of energy for photovoltaic grid parity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Highly Stable and Efficient Mesoporous and Hollow Silica Antireflection Coatings for Perovskite Solar Cells

Wang

Zhang

Yang³

et al. 2020

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

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“…Remarkable decrease in reflectance of a hydrogenated silicon nitride layer intended for c‐Si solar cells was achieved after its treatment in argon plasma; moreover, the layer was grown in PECVD process conducted in a mixture of NH 3 and H 2 gases. [ 104 ] When fabricating c‐Si nano‐structured solar cells, one‐step process based on implementation of ICP discharge was necessary to synthesize simultaneously and anti‐reflection and n‐layer by etching the p‐type silicon wafers in argon‐hydrogen plasma with optimized parameters. [ 105 ] A roll‐to‐roll plasma sputtering system was employed to produce antireflective and self‐cleaning plasma‐polymerized fluorocarbon layer to be incorporated to perovskite solar cells.…”

Section: Architecturementioning

confidence: 99%

How to Survive at Point Nemo? Fischer–Tropsch, Artificial Photosynthesis, and Plasma Catalysis for Sustainable Energy at Isolated Habitats

Levchenko,

Xu,

Baranov

et al. 2023

Global Challenges

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Inhospitable, inaccessible, and extremely remote alike the famed pole of inaccessibility, aka Point Nemo, the isolated locations in deserts, at sea, or in outer space are difficult for humans to settle, let alone to thrive in. Yet, they present a unique set of opportunities for science, economy, and geopolitics that are difficult to ignore. One of the critical challenges for settlers is the stable supply of energy both to sustain a reasonable quality of life, as well as to take advantage of the local opportunities presented by the remote environment, e.g., abundance of a particular resource. The possible solutions to this challenge are heavily constrained by the difficulty and prohibitive cost of transportation to and from such a habitat (e.g., a lunar or Martian base). In this essay, the advantages and possible challenges of integrating Fischer–Tropsch, artificial photosynthesis, and plasma catalysis into a robust, scalable, and efficient self‐contained system for energy harvesting, storage, and utilization are explored.

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“…They are mainly used as very effective antireflection coatings in the production of crystalline silicon (c-Si) and multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar cells [ 1 , 2 ]. The hydrogen content in the layers effectively passivates the material’s surface and suppresser surface recombination [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. SiN x :H layers with various levels of nitrogen content are widely used in optoelectronics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Optical and Thermo-Optical Properties of Non-Stoichiometric Silicon Nitride Layers Obtained by the PECVD Method with Varying Levels of Nitrogen Content

et al. 2022

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In this paper, we investigated the optical and thermo-optical properties of a-SiNx:H layers obtained using the PECVD technique. SiNx:H layers with different refractive indices were obtained from silane and ammonia as precursor gases. Surface morphology and chemical composition studies were investigated using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry methods. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to determine the optical indexes, thicknesses and optical bandgap of the films. The main purpose was to identify the thermo-optical characteristics of layers with different refractive indexes. Thermo-optical studies were performed to determine the temperature hysteresis of optical parameters. These measurements showed that after annealing up to 300 °C and subsequent cooling, the value of optical parameters returned to the initial values.

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Argon plasma treatment of silicon nitride (SiN) for improved antireflection coating on c-Si solar cells

Cited by 17 publications

References 29 publications

Highly Stable and Efficient Mesoporous and Hollow Silica Antireflection Coatings for Perovskite Solar Cells

Highly Stable and Efficient Mesoporous and Hollow Silica Antireflection Coatings for Perovskite Solar Cells

How to Survive at Point Nemo? Fischer–Tropsch, Artificial Photosynthesis, and Plasma Catalysis for Sustainable Energy at Isolated Habitats

The Optical and Thermo-Optical Properties of Non-Stoichiometric Silicon Nitride Layers Obtained by the PECVD Method with Varying Levels of Nitrogen Content

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