Effect of porous silicon stain etched on large area alkaline textured crystalline silicon solar cells

This work shows the effects of porous silicon stain etched on alkaline textured antireflection coatings of large area monocrystalline silicon solar cells. The texturization process has been produced by immersion of the silicon wafers in different carbonate-based solutions. The porous silicon layers were formed by stain etching in a HNO₃/HF aqueous solution before or after the texturization process. We study the effects of different alkaline and acidic solutions and the etching times on the solar cell parameters and the surface reflectance of the device. We have found that the average reflectance of the surface is lowered when the porous etching is combined with the texturization in the alkaline solution. However, the solar cell characteristics are not improved.     

Characterization of nanoporous silicon layer to reduce the optical losses of crystalline silicon solar cells

Reduction of optical losses in crystalline silicon solar cells by surface modification is one of the most important issues of silicon photovoltaics. Porous Si layers on the front surface of textured Si substrates have been investigated with the aim of improving the optical losses of the solar cells, because an anti-reflection coating and a surface passivation can be obtained simultaneously in one process. We have demonstrated the feasibility of a very efficient porous Si AR layer, prepared by a simple, cost effective, electrochemical etching method. Silicon p-type CZ (100) oriented wafers were textured by anisotropic etching in sodium carbonate solution. Then, the porous Si layers were formed by electrochemical etching in HF solutions. After that, the properties of porous Si in terms of morphology, structure and reflectance are summarized. The structure of porous Si layers was investigated using SEM. The formation of a nanoporous Si layer on the textured silicon wafer result in a reflectance lower than 5% in the wavelength region from 500 to 900 nm. Such a surface modification allows improving the Si solar cell characteristics. An efficiency of 13.4% is achieved on a monocrystalline silicon solar cell using the electrochemical technique.     

Silicon micromechanical structures fabricated by electrochemical process

Silicon micromechanical structures were fabricated by means of sacrificial layers defined with porous silicon and masked by hydrogen ion implantation with adequate thermal annealing. The fabrication process to remove the porous silicon layers with diluted potassium hydroxide at room temperature does not cause damage to the remaining silicon microstructures, which are less than 1 /spl mu/m in thickness controlled by process parameters.     

Multidirectional lateral gradient films with position-dependent photonic signatures made from porous silicon

We describe here the fabrication of laterally graded porous silicon films which display gradients of photonic reflectance peaks spanning the optical spectrum. We demonstrate that up to three of these gradients can be overlayed to produce multidirectional photonic gradients with position-dependent spectral bar-codes. Each gradient is generated by asymmetric anodisation of silicon using temporal variations (sinusoidal or square-wave) in current density affording rugate and Bragg reflectors, respectively. The fabricated optical structures and the quality of the photonic resonances are characterised by optical reflectivity measurements and scanning electron microscopy. We finally remove the pSi gradient layers from the silicon substrate by applying an electropolishing current and embed the free-standing pSi membranes in polydimethylsiloxane to form flexible and foldable photonic films.     

Surface and optical characterization of the porous silicon textured surface

In the present studies, the structural and optical properties of the electrochemically etched PS layers are presented. The formation conditions under constant anodization current density was varied to get a variety of PS samples to analyze the structural and optical characteristics of the porous silicon layers and, then to correlate the resultant surface morphology with the etching process. The low-porosity PS layers thus formed on the silicon substrate have a refractive index value (n_ps = 1.9), which is an intermediate value between bulk silicon substrate (n_Si = 3.4) and air (n_air = 1.0). The results of diffused reflectance, surface morphology by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Raman scattering measurements show that the resultant surface morphology of the PS layers consist of irregular and randomly distributed nanocrystalline Si structures. The reduction in reflection of the low porosity porous silicon layers is due to light scattering and light trapping of the incoming light by total randomization of the incoming light within the PS structure. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements on the PS layer on Si substrate show that PS surface is characterized by chemical species like Si—H and Si—O etc., co-existing on the surface. The presence of hydrogen-related species on the PS layer can provide to some extent a surface passivation effect.     

Dual detection biosensor based on porous silicon substrate

Due to the high surface-to-volume ratio (hundreds of m²/cm³) porous silicon became during the last years a good candidate material as substrate for biosensor application. Moreover, the versatility of surface chemistry allows different functionalization approaches and large number of molecules to be captured on well-defined areas. This paper reports a dual detection method for protein recognition processes developed on different nanostructured porous silicon (PS) substrates, based on using two complementary spectroscopic techniques: fluorescence and electrochemical impedance. The structures were tested for biomolecular recognition – biotin–strepavidin couples – in order to achieve an optimum surface for protein's immobilizations. Comparative analyses of the attachment degree and preservation of the biomolecules activity on the porous silicon surfaces and silicon slides are also described.     

Development of interference filters based on multilayer porous silicon structures

Porous silicon (PS) has a great potential in optical applications due to its tuneable refractive index. In particular, multilayer structures consisting of alternating PS layers with different refractive indices can be used as interference filters for applications in the field of optoelectronics and sensors. In the present work, the optical properties of PS single layers and multilayer structures were studied. Since the refractive index of PS varies depending on the air content of the porous matrix, the PS structures were modelled as an homogeneous mixture of silicon and air, according to the effective medium theories (EMTs). By adjusting the refractive index and thickness of each individual layer, we can obtain a stack of PS layers with the desired optical properties, resulting in interference filters of predetermined bandwidth.     

Effects of metal layer morphology to silicon nanostructure formation in metal-assisted etching

This study presents a rapid and simple approach for creating silicon nanostructures using metal-assisted etching. The thickness of the metal layer was found to be a key process parameter affecting the surface morphology of silicon nanostructures. Au and Ag layers with a thickness of 3 nm, 5 nm, and 10 nm were used to study the effects of metal catalyst thickness on silicon nanostructure morphology. The experimental results show that the surface morphology of metal has a significant influence on the silicon nanostructure morphology, such that the silicon nanostructures transform from porous silicon surfaces into filament nanostructures or silicon nanowire with increasing thicknesses of both the Au and Ag metal layers.     

Step voltage with periodic hold-up etching: A novel porous silicon formation

A novel etching method for preparing light-emitting porous silicon (PS) is developed. A gradient steps (staircase) voltage is applied and hold-up for different periods of time between p-type silicon wafers and a graphite electrode in HF based solutions periodically. The single applied staircase voltage (0–30 V) is ramped in equal steps of 0.5 V for 6 s, and hold at 30 V for 30 s at a current of 6 mA. The current during hold-up time (0 V) was less than 10 μA. The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) behavior of the PS samples as a function of etching parameters has been investigated. The intensity of PL peak is initially increased and blue shifted on increasing etching time, but decreased after prolonged time. These are correlated with the study of changes in surface morphology using atomic force microscope (AFM), porosity and electrical conductance measurements. The time of holding-up the applied voltage during the formation process is found to highly affect the PS properties. On increasing the holding-up time, the intensity of PL peak is increased and blue shifted. The contribution of holding-up the applied steps during the formation process of PS is seen to be more or less similar to the post chemical etching process. It is demonstrated that this method can yield a porous silicon layer with stronger photoluminescence intensity and blue shifted than the porous silicon layer prepared by DC etching.     

Phase and Structural Modifications in Porous Silicon Under Pulse Heating

The phase transitions in crystalline and amorphous porous silicon layers on silicon single crystal under isothermal or laser pulse nanosecond heating were modeled. The pulse heating was described as an adiabatic process by using a quasi-statistical approximation through homogeneous nucleation and growth of a new phase. The calculation of the free energy of porous silicon for cylindrical, spherical, and complex structures of the pores and its dependence on the pore radius, overall porosity, and thermoelastic stresses was made. The equilibrium free energy increased to 0.15 and 0.09 eV, with a corresponding decrease in melting temperature of 400 and 300 K for crystalline and amorphous porous silicon, respectively. The Laplace pressure retards this shift no more than 10 K. The possibility of epitaxial silicon layer formation (0.1 to 1.2 m thick) on porous silicon after pulse heating (30 ns; beam density from 2 to 10 kJ·m^–2) is shown.     

Silicon infrared diffuser for wireless communication

We show what we believe to be a novel way to use silicon in infrared radio communication as a suitable material for the realization of optical diffusers in the range of 850-1600 nm. A crystalline silicon wafer is made porous by means of electrochemical etching. The porous silicon produced is optically characterized, and measurements report a high reflectance in the band of interest. We also study the angular distribution of diffused radiation by the porous silicon surface at different angles of incident radiation. Measurements show that radiation diffuses in a quasi-Lambertian manner, confirming the good performance of this material as an incident radiation diffuser.     

Formation and properties of porous silicon/titania nanostructures

Porous silicon/titania structures have been prepared for the first time by a sol-gel process in which a porous silicon layer was produced on single-crystal p-type silicon wafers and the titania was obtained from Ti-containing sol. The formation of TiO₂, predominantly in the form of anatase, on the porous silicon surface was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The porous layers were found to contain carbon in addition to the host elements (Si, Ti, and O). Increasing the pore volume through the thermal oxidation of the porous silicon and dissolution of the oxide layer had little effect on the final Ti content, whereas the average pore diameter increased twofold, and the photoluminescence intensity in the porous silicon increased by 20 times.     

Electrochemical deposition of zinc selenide and cadmium selenide onto porous silicon from aqueous acidic solutions

An electrochemical deposition process of ZnSe and CdSe compound semiconductors from aqueous acidic solutions onto silicon substrates with porous silicon layers formed on their surfaces was studied by the voltammetry method. The experimental data obtained were compared with the deposition data onto metal and silicon substrates, and the optimal conditions for the binary compound deposition onto porous silicon were determined. Semiconductor films deposited were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and X-ray microanalysis. The films are shown to have the crystalline structure and a nearly stoichiometric composition with a minor Se excess. Further annealing in air for 15 min allowed the Se concentration to be decreased.     

Synthesis of amorphous silicon/magnesia based direct opals with tunable optical properties

The effective refractive index of silica based artificial opals can be strongly modulated through magnesiothermic and wet etching processes. The magnesiothermic reduction of silica spheres assembled in a fcc lattice produces amorphous silicon/magnesia matrix, which can be easily converted in oxidized porous silicon, preserving the ordered structure. These results are verified by electron microscopies and IR/Raman spectroscopies. The optical properties are analyzed in terms of the experimental reflectance spectra. By comparing the measured data to rigorous calculations, the good quality of the opaline replicas is demonstrated.     

Surface chemistry of n-octane modified silicon nanoparticles analyzed by IR, 13C CPMAS NMR, EELS, and TGA

The functionalization of silicon nanoparticles by thermally induced hydrosilylation in a one-pot process is reported. In contrast to the commonly applied thermally induced hydrosilylation, the process described here is carried out in the presence of hydrofluoric acid as a second phase and therefore proceeds at a lower conversion temperature. The surface functionalization of silicon nanoparticles was analyzed by IR, 13C CPMAS NMR, EELS, and TGA techniques. The applied procedure resulted in functionalized silicon nanoparticles with good chemical and thermal stability.     

Luminescent properties of GaN-based epitaxial layers and heterostructures grown on porous SiC substrates

The photoluminescence of single epitaxial GaN layers and electroluminescence of double GaN/AlGaN heterostructures grown on porous silicon carbide (PSC) substrates was studied in comparison to the properties of analogous layers and structures grown on nonporous SiC substrates. The epilayers grown on PSC substrates are characterized by a lower concentration of dislocation-related nonradiative recombination centers. It is suggested that this factor favorably influences the radiative recombination processes in device structures based on group III nitride epilayers grown on PSC substrates.     

Herstellung und komplexe Charakterisierung von Metall‐Keramik‐Verbundschichten

Formation and characterization of metal‐ceramic coatings The influence of the formation process and used materials of metal‐ceramic coatings on the structural properties of the deposited layers were investigated and optimized to increase the mechanical properties. There the deposition of the metal‐ceramic‐layers occurred by a combination of electrophoretic and galvanic deposition with siloxane as bonding compound. Layers with a high ceramic content were successfully created. As ceramic components commercial silicon carbide and silicon nitride were used. Nickel and Copper respectively were applied as metal component to fill the porous ceramic structure with the aim to increase the strength of the layers, where nevertheless a pre nickel‐plating or pre cupper plating of the steel substrate X6Cr17 before ceramic component deposition had to be done to increase the adhesion of the layers. The layer characterization was made by optical microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy, where especially the bonding of the single particles by the siloxane was in evidence.     

Smart optical sensors for chemical substances based on porous silicon technology

A simple geometry optical sensor based on porous silicon technology is theoretically and experimentally studied. We expose some porous silicon optical microcavities with different porous structures to several substances of environmental interest: Very large red shifts in the single transmission peak in the reflectivity spectrum due to changes in the average refractive index are observed. The phenomenon can be ascribed to capillary condensation of vapor phases in the silicon pores. We numerically compute the peak shifts as a function of the liquid volume fraction condensed into the stack by using the Bruggeman theory. The results presented are promising for vapor and liquid detection and identification.     

Growth of TiO2 anti-reflection layer on textured Si (100) wafer substrate by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition method

Recently anti-reflective films (AR) have been intensely studied. Particularly for textured silicon solar cells, the AR films can further reduce the reflection of the incident light through trapping the incident light into the cells. In this work, TiO2 anti-reflection films have been grown on the textured Si (100) substrate which is processed in two steps, and the films are deposited using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with a precursor of titanium tetra-isopropoxide (TTIP). The effect of the substrate texture and the growth conditions of TiO2 films on the reflectance has been investigated. Pyramid size of textured silicon had approximately 2-9 microm. A well-textured silicon surface can lower the reflectance to 10%. For more reduced reflection, TiO2 anti-reflection films on the textured silicon were deposited at 600 degrees C using titanium tetra-isopropoxide (TTIP) as a precursor by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and the deposited TiO2 layers were then treated by annealing for 2 h in air at 600 and 1000 degrees C, respectively. In this process, the treated samples by annealing showed anatase and rutile phases, respectively. The thickness of TiO2 films was about 75 +/- 5 nm. The reflectance at specific wavelength can be reduced to 3% in optimum layer.     

Investigations of the optical absorption spectra of porous silicon layers on the Silicon backing by the nondestructive photoacoustic method

This paper presents a series of experimental photoacoustic spectra of porous silicon layers on the crystalline silicon and their numerical analysis performed in the proposed two layer model. The goal of the analysis was to calculate the optical absorption coefficient spectra of porous silicon from the photoacoustic spectra of the porous silicon layer on the silicon backing. The character of the observed optical absorption band associated with the porous silicon was revealed.