Open AccessBroadband wide-angle antireflection enhancement in AZO/Si shell/core subwavelength grating structures with hydrophobic surface for Si-based solar cells
Author(s) -
Jung Woo Leem,
Young Min Song,
Yun Suk Huh
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.19.0a1155
Subject(s) - materials science , anti reflective coating , optics , silicon , optoelectronics , grating , fresnel equations , layer (electronics) , refractive index , nanotechnology , physics
Broadband wide-angle antireflection characteristics of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO)/silicon (Si) shell/core subwavelength grating (SWG) structures with a hydrophobic surface, together with theoretical prediction using a rigorous coupled-wave analysis simulation, were investigated for Si-based solar cells. The AZO films with different thicknesses were deposited on Si SWGs by rf magnetron sputtering method, which forms a shell/core structure. The AZO/Si shell/core SWGs reduced significantly the surface reflection compared to the AZO films/Si substrate. The coverage of AZO films on Si SWGs improved the antireflective property over a wider incident angle. The AZO/Si shell/core SWG structure with a 200 nm-thick AZO layer deposited at an rf power of 200 W exhibited a water contact angle of 123°. This structure also exhibited a low average reflectance of ~2% over a wide wavelength range of 300-2100 nm with a solar weighted reflectance of 2.8%, maintaining a reflectance of < 9.2% at wavelengths of 300-2100 nm up to the incident angle of θ(i) = 70°. The effective electrical properties of AZO films in AZO/Si shell/core SWGs were also analyzed.