| Work Detail |
Developed by an international research group, the new anti-reflective coating is based on silicon dioxide and zirconium dioxide. It reportedly minimizes the reflection loss of a solar cell, while improving its light absorption properties.
An international group of scientists investigated the use of silicon dioxide (SiO2) and zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) as anti-reflective coatings for polycrystalline silicon solar cells.
“The main objective of anti-reflective coatings is to minimize reflection loss, thus improving the absorption properties of the semiconductor material, often silicon, and facilitating its conversion into electrical energy,” explained the academic. “This is essential to increase the efficiency of solar cells.”
In addition, they have also tested the effect of a mixed SiO2-ZrO2 coating, with a ratio of 1:1, on cell performance.
For their research, the group purchased 5.0 cm × 4.0 cm polycrystalline Si solar cells with an efficiency of 14.4%. They then coated them with SiO2, ZrO2, or SiO2-ZrO2 using the radiofrequency (RF) sputter coating technique. “To ensure almost uniform distribution, the mixture was subjected to mechanical grinding with a mortar and pestle for approximately 120 minutes,” they highlighted.
The radiofrequency sputter coating technique uses radiofrequency energy to generate plasma and sputter a target material onto a substrate. In the process described in this study, argon gas was ionized to form a plasma during the sputtering process. The coating process lasted 45 m at room temperature.
After coating the three cells, the academics evaluated the light absorption and transmittance and compared their performance with that of uncoated reference cells.
According to the results of an IV measurement, the energy conversion efficiency of the uncoated cell was 14.4%, while that of the SiO2-ZrO2 sample was 17.6%. The SiO2 sample only had an efficiency of 15.6%, and the ZrO2 sample had an efficiency of 16.7%.
“The RMS values ??of the roughness of the solar cells coated with SiO2, ZrO2 and the SiO2-ZrO2 mixture were measured to be 35.42 nm, 47.47 nm and 62.36 nm, respectively,” the researchers added. “Increasing surface roughness can also serve to potentially reduce reflection loss and improve optical transmittance.”
The anti-reflective coating was presented in the article “ Surface engineering of Sio2-Zro2 films for increasing power conversion efficiency performance of silicon solar cells .” silicon), published in the Journal of Materials Research and Technology .
The research was carried out by scientists from Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University and Qassim University in Saudi Arabia, as well as Kongu Engineering College and Velalar College of Engineering and Technology in India. In addition, the group was made up of researchers from the King Mongkut University of Technology in Northern Bangkok, Thailand, and the National Research Center in Egypt. |
