Suppressing light reflection from polycrystalline silicon thin films through surface texturing and silver nanostructures

Journal Article · Sun Sep 21 04:00:00 EDT 2014 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4895694· OSTI ID:22305988

Akhter, Perveen ^[1]; Huang, Mengbing; Kadakia, Nirag; Spratt, William; Malladi, Girish; Bakhru, Hassarum ^[2]

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1. Department of Physics, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, New York 12222 (United States)
2. SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Albany, New York 12203 (United States)

This work demonstrates a novel method combining ion implantation and silver nanostructures for suppressing light reflection from polycrystalline silicon thin films. Samples were implanted with 20-keV hydrogen ions to a dose of 10¹⁷/cm², and some of them received an additional argon ion implant to a dose of 5×10¹⁵ /cm² at an energy between 30 and 300 keV. Compared to the case with a single H implant, the processing involved both H and Ar implants and post-implantation annealing has created a much higher degree of surface texturing, leading to a more dramatic reduction of light reflection from polycrystalline Si films over a broadband range between 300 and 1200 nm, e.g., optical reflection from the air/Si interface in the AM1.5 sunlight condition decreasing from ~30% with an untextured surface to below 5% for a highly textured surface after post-implantation annealing at 1000°C. Formation of Ag nanostructures on these ion beam processed surfaces further reduces light reflection, and surface texturing is expected to have the benefit of diminishing light absorption losses within large-size (>100 nm) Ag nanoparticles, yielding an increased light trapping efficiency within Si as opposed to the case with Ag nanostructures on a smooth surface. A discussion of the effects of surface textures and Ag nanoparticles on light trapping within Si thin films is also presented with the aid of computer simulations.

• OSTI ID: 22305988
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 116; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics (AIP)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ABSORPTION
ANNEALING
ARGON IONS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
EFFICIENCY
HYDROGEN IONS
INTERFACES
ION IMPLANTATION
NANOPARTICLES
NANOSTRUCTURES
OPTICAL REFLECTION
POLYCRYSTALS
SILICON
SILVER
SURFACES
TEXTURE
THIN FILMS
TRAPPING
VISIBLE RADIATION