Pulsed Nd:YAG laser treatment of monocrystalline silicon substrate

To minimize reflection and increase the opportunity for photovoltaic (PV) devices to absorb incident light, we produced rough-textured surfaces using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. We investigated the effect of various operating parameters on surface features and optical performance. The parameters investigated were pulse repetition frequency, pulse energy, and textured surface exposure time. Following laser surface treatment, no chemical solution etching or anti-reflective coatings were necessary. Reflectance values were measured by spectrophotometer. Structural properties including surface morphology and surface roughness of the textured surfaces were analyzed by a three-dimensional confocal laser scanning microscope. The resulting surface reflection curves indicated that, of the different laser machining paths, the vertical and circular paths produced identical optical properties in the samples. Surface reflection values decrease as the pulse energy and exposure times increase. By contrast, surface roughness increases with exposure time. An increase in pulse frequency reduces surface roughness, although the extent of the reduction depends upon the pulse energy. Following surface texturing of the monocrystalline silicon samples, the total reflection was reduced from 40% to approximately 10% of incident light. Our experimental results indicate that the rougher surfaces attained by laser surface treatment provide better light-trapping properties for PV devices.