The possibility of reducing the reflectance and improving the tribological behavior of Si wafer by UNSM technique

Abstract

In this study, mono- and poly-crystalline Si wafers, which are widely used in the manufacturing of high-performance solar cells, and nano- and micro-electromechanical systems (NEMS/MEMS), were subjected to ultrasonic nanocrystalline surface modification (UNSM) technique. The reflectance property of mono-crystalline Si wafer was improved after UNSM treatment in a certain wavelength but it reduced remarkably for poly-crystalline Si wafer. The hardness of both Si wafers was increased after UNSM treatment resulting in improvement of tribological behavior. According to the results of the present study, a UNSM technique might be considered as an alternative surface modification process to improve the properties of Si wafers for solar cell and NEMS/MEMS applications.