Wet-etch texturing of ZnO:Ga back layer on superstrate-type microcrystalline silicon solar cells

Lai, Kuang Chieh; Tsai, Fu Ji; Wang, Jen Hung; Yeh, Chih Hung; Houng, Mau Phon

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2011.02.011

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…In recent years, transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films have been applied in silicon thin film solar cells, providing high transparency in the visible light region and good electrical conductivity. [1][2][3] Light scattering in silicon thin film solar cells can be achieved using wet-etching, to produce surface structures capable of scattering incident light into the silicon absorber layer. [4][5][6] For amorphous silicon solar cells, SnO 2 :F (Asahi U-Type) and AZO have been the most favored TCOs.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of AZO, GZO, and AGZO Thin Films TCOs Applied for a-Si Solar Cells

Lin

Chen

Wang

et al. 2012

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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This study prepared aluminum and gallium co-doped zinc oxide (AGZO) thin films using pulsed direct current magnetron sputtering, and studied the electrical properties, transmittance, effects of texturing, and applicability as the front contact for a-Si:H solar cells. Textured ZnO:Al (AZO) and ZnO:Ga (GZO) thin films were also compared with AGZO thin film to evaluate their performance as front contacts. Experimental results show that AGZO films with the highest figure of merit φ TC value (24.64 × 10 −3 −1) were obtained at Al and Ga doping concentrations of 0.54 wt% and 1.165 wt%, respectively. The textured AGZO films used as the front contact in a-Si:H solar cells achieved the following results: V OC = 0.77 V, J SC = 16.5 mA/cm 2 , FF = 59%, and conversion efficiency of 7.53%. AZO and GZO films have better electrical properties than AGZO film; however, AGZO film has superior transmittance in the near-infrared (NIR) region and higher J SC , conversion efficiency and external quantum efficiency (EQE) than AZO and GZO films under a similar haze value.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of AZO, GZO, and AGZO Thin Films TCOs Applied for a-Si Solar Cells

Lin

Chen

Wang

et al. 2012

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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“…The nanostructure of these films is then controlled using wet chemical etching in weakly concentrated HCl media. However, unlike the usually obtained micrometric pit by HCl etching for light scattering property [8,9], we present a new consequence of the etching effect at the nanometric scale, for the modification of accessibility of the surface to gases and liquids. A detailed characterization, including XRD, SEM, AFM, optical analysis, optical simulation, of both structure and microstructure of ZnO thin films before and after etching, is presented.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…In this class of Transparent Conducting Oxide (TCO) materials, nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) received a considerable attention over past few years because of its low cost, its high transparency associated with a high mobility of charge carriers and because it does not give rise to environmental concerns [3][4][5][6]. For photovoltaic applications such as thin films in Si-solar cells, ZnO can be used in TCO front contact [7] but also to provide additional optical functions like light scattering [8][9][10]. Nanostructured ZnO is also of particular interest for organic and dye sensitized solar cells [11,12] or photocatalysis process [13] because it can be nanostructured into nanowires and rods, which makes it ideal for infiltration of the absorption layer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other favorable aspects of ZnO include its chemical reactivity to many acids leading to many opportunities for wet chemical etching. Many etching methods using HCl have been reported to develop a rough surface and then induce a light scattering effect, which can significantly improve light trapping (and therefore current photogeneration) [8,9,[18][19][20][21]. HCl etching agent was also used to study the corrosion behavior of ZnO thin films in acid solutions [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Detailed microstructure analysis of as-deposited and etched porous ZnO films

Shang

Thimont

Barnabé

et al. 2015

Applied Surface Science

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ZnO nanostructured materials in thin film forms are of particular interest for photovoltaic or photocatalysis processes but they suffer from a lack of simple methods for optimizing their microstructure. We have demonstrated that microporous ZnO thin films with optimized inter grain accessibility can be produce by radio frequency magnetron sputtering process and chemical etching with 2.75 mM HCl solution for different duration. The as-deposited ZnO thin films were first characterized in terms of structure, grain size, inter grain space, open cavity depth and total thickness of the film by XRD, AFM, SEM, profilometry and optical measurements. A specific attention was dedicated to the determination of the surface enhancement factor (SEF) by using basic geometrical considerations and images treatments. In addition, the porous fraction and its distribution in the thickness have been estimated thanks to the optical simulation of the experimental UV-Visible-IR spectrums using the Bruggeman dielectric model and cross section SEM images analysis respectively. This study showed that the microstructure of the as-deposited films consists of a dense layer covered by a porous upper layer developing a SEF of 12-13 m 2 m −2. This two layers architecture is not modified by the etching process. The etching process only affects the upper porous layer in which the overall porosity and the inter-grain space increase with the etching duration. Column diameter and total film thickness decrease at the same time when the films are soaked in the HCl bath. The microporous structure obtained after the etching process could generate a great interest for the interfaces electronic exchanges for solar cells, photocatalysis and gas sensors applications.

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“…Still, their properties in the IR range are not fully understood in order to be a weighty alternative to metallic layers. The deposition technique mainly used for obtaining thin layers are similar to the ones for ITO; thus, magnetron sputtering is the main one [125][126][127]. Other methods for depositing TCOs, include PLD [123,[128][129][130][131], ion beam sputtering [122,132], and pulsed filtered cathodic arc deposition [124].…”

Section: Indium Tin Oxide Filmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultra-thin films for plasmonics: a technology overview

Malureanu

Lavrinenko

2015

Nanotechnology Reviews

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Ultra-thin films with low surface roughness that support surface plasmon-polaritons in the infra-red and visible ranges are needed in order to improve the performance of devices based on the manipulation of plasmon propagation. Increasing amount of efforts is made in order not only to improve the quality of the deposited layers but also to diminish their thickness and to find new materials that could be used in this field. In this review, we consider various thin films used in the field of plasmonics and metamaterials in the visible and IR range. We focus our presentation on technological issues of their deposition and reported characterization of film plasmonic performance.

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Wet-etch texturing of ZnO:Ga back layer on superstrate-type microcrystalline silicon solar cells

Cited by 5 publications

References 25 publications

Comparison of AZO, GZO, and AGZO Thin Films TCOs Applied for a-Si Solar Cells

Comparison of AZO, GZO, and AGZO Thin Films TCOs Applied for a-Si Solar Cells

Detailed microstructure analysis of as-deposited and etched porous ZnO films

Ultra-thin films for plasmonics: a technology overview

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