Fabrication of Double Antireflection Layer of SiO2/SiNx via Spin Coating and Brush Painting for Enhanced Performance of Silicon Solar Cells

Abstract

This research investigates the optical, structural, and photovoltaic attributes of a dual antireflection (AR) layer deposition on crystalline silicon (c–Si) solar cells using second SiO2 layer on SiNx AR. The second SiO2 AR layer on a SiNx AR-based c–Si solar cell was fabricated utilizing both spin coating and brush painting techniques, resulting in a unique double (SiO2/SiNx) AR layer. The initial SiNx AR layer was deposited on the c–Si solar cell through plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), while the SiO2 layer was subsequently applied using two different methods such as spin coating at 5000 rpm for 20 s and brush painting, separately, on Si solar cell. The double (SiO2/SiNx) AR layer on the Si wafer exhibited a substantial reduction in average reflectance, approximately 6.02% through spin coating and 5.17% through brush painting, within the wavelength range of 400–1000 nm when compared to a textured silicon wafer. The fabricated solar cell featuring the double (SiO2/SiNx) AR layer, achieved a power conversion efficiency of 15.21% and 17.57% for spin coating and brush painting, respectively. The utilization of the double (SiO2/SiNx) AR layer through brush painting on the Si solar cell not only provided low reflectance but also demonstrated excellent surface properties, making it a promising candidate for the cost-effective fabrication of high-performance Si solar cells.