Effect of Laser Wavelength on AZO Surface Texturing by Direct Laser Processing / Patterning for Thin-Film Silicon Solar
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Effect of Laser Wavelength on AZO Surface Texturing by Direct Laser Processing / Patterning for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells Applications Zeynep Demircioglu
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, Hisham Nasser , Robert S. Balog , and Rasit Turan
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Department of Physics, Middle East Technical University, Dumlupınar Blvd. No: 1, 06800 Ankara, Turkey.
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TÜBİTAK UZAY-Space Technologies Research Institute, ODTÜ Yerleskesi, 06531, Ankara, Turkey
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The Center for Solar Energy Research and Applications (GÜNAM), Middle East Technical University, Dumlupınar Blvd. No: 1, 06800 Ankara, Turkey. 4
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha, Qatar
ABSTRACT
Surface texturing of transparent conductive oxides is crucial to improve the fraction of incident light trapped in the absorber layer of thin film silicon based solar cells to improve the device performance. In this work, we fabricate and compare periodic, overlapping, and random surface textures and patterns on aluminium doped zinc oxide (AZO) using direct laser processing. The effects of the used laser wavelength, laser operating frequency, and pulse periodicity on the structural, morphological, and optical response of the AZO films were investigated. By optimizing the laser parameters and the associated process conditions, a drastic increase up to 60% in the transmittance haze over the entire solar was achieved.
INTRODUCTION Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin films have been widely utilized as the window electrode in thin film based silicon (Si) solar cells [1-4]. The most common TCOs utilized in thin film Si solar cells include aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO or Al:ZnO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO or F:SnO), and tin-doped indium oxide (ITO or In2O3:Sn) [5]. Among these, AZO thin films deposited by sputtering techniques have gained much attention as the front electrode owing to their myriad interrelated superior optical and electrical properties [4-9]. Moreover, AZO thin films are stable against the hydrogen plasma usually associated with the fabrication of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin film solar cells, abundant and low materials, easily post-deposition textured, and compatible with plasmonic nanoparticles integration within the AZO layer to improve the fraction of light trapped within the thin film Si solar cells [7-14]. Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. Teachers College Library - Columbia University, on 10 Jan 2018 at 08:15:23, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1557/adv.2018.23
A crucial feature of the AZO film utilized as the window electrode in thin film Si solar cells is to function as an efficient optical layer which enhances photon absorption in the active layer. This requires the AZO film to have a rough or textured surface which reduces the reflection of incident light by effectively scattering light inside the solar cell and thus improves the device performance. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of randomly
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