Sub-50-nm self-assembled nanotextures for enhanced broadband antireflection in silicon solar cells

Atikur Rahman, Ahsan Ashraf, Huolin Xin, Xiao Tong, Peter Sutter, Matthew D. Eisaman and Charles T. Black ()
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Atikur Rahman: Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Ahsan Ashraf: Brookhaven National Laboratory
Huolin Xin: Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Xiao Tong: Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Peter Sutter: Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Matthew D. Eisaman: Brookhaven National Laboratory
Charles T. Black: Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Materials providing broadband light antireflection have applications as highly transparent window coatings, military camouflage, and coatings for efficiently coupling light into solar cells and out of light-emitting diodes. In this work, densely packed silicon nanotextures with feature sizes smaller than 50 nm enhance the broadband antireflection compared with that predicted by their geometry alone. A significant fraction of the nanotexture volume comprises a surface layer whose optical properties differ substantially from those of the bulk, providing the key to improved performance. The nanotexture reflectivity is quantitatively well-modelled after accounting for both its profile and changes in refractive index at the surface. We employ block copolymer self-assembly for precise and tunable nanotexture design in the range of ~10–70 nm across macroscopic solar cell areas. Implementing this efficient antireflection approach in crystalline silicon solar cells significantly betters the performance gain compared with an optimized, planar antireflection coating.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6963

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