Investigation of the neutral-solution etch process for refractive SOE antireflective surfaces

Conference · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:6241931

Maish, A B

Antireflection of optically clear glass used in photovoltaic concentrator refractive secondary optical elements (SOE's) was investigated using the neutral-solution etch process developed by Schott Glass. Test coupons and SOE's made from barium zinc glass, which does not solarize under ultraviolet exposure, were successfully etched at the center point process variable conditions of 87{degrees}C and 24 hours. Reflectance of the plano-plano dropped from 7.7% to 0.8%, with a corresponding increase in transmission from 91.7% to 98.5%. The etching process uses non-hydrofluoric, relatively non-toxic chemicals in a low-cost process well suited for use by photovoltaic system manufacturers during production. 10 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6241931
• Report Number(s): SAND-91-0468C; CONF-911055-4; ON: DE92002007
• Resource Relation: Conference: 22. IEEE photovoltaic specialists conference, Las Vegas, NV (United States), 7-11 Oct 1991
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ANTIREFLECTION COATINGS
SYNTHESIS
GLASS
ETCHING
ALUMINIUM CHLORIDES
CONCENTRATORS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
SODIUM PHOSPHATES
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COATINGS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHATES
PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SURFACE FINISHING
140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion
360601 - Other Materials- Preparation & Manufacture