Simulation of Antireflection Coatings System Based on DLC/Porous Si and TiO2/SiO2 for Si Solar Cells

Abstract

The exploitation of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films in a wide range of practical applications attracts scientific interest [1]. More than 35% of solar radiation reflects from the surface of a silicon solar cell. This phenomenon negatively affects the quantity of generation of electron-hole pairs. Inhibiting of reflection can be achieved by applying anti-reflection coatings (ARC) on the silicon surface, with refractive indices n between n = 1 (Air) and n = 4.0 (Si). In the visible spectrum n = 1.5–3 for porous silicon, n = 2.4 for the DLC film, n = 1.5 for SiO2 and n = 2.1–2.5 for TiO2 [2]. By changing the thickness of the layers, the minimum of Inhibiting can be shifted to different parts of the spectrum. The deposition of two-layer films allows for expanding the useful range. A porous silicon layer has important advantages: the textured surface, the possibility of changing the bandgap, the ease of manufacture of the layer, and the variation of the refractive index by electrochemical anodization. Silicon DLC films are characterized by high mechanical, chemical, and radiation resistance.