Versatile control of metal-assisted chemical etching for vertical silicon microwire arrays and their photovoltaic applications

A systematic study was conducted into the use of metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) to fabricate vertical Si microwire arrays, with several models being studied for the efficient redox reaction of reactants with silicon through a metal catalyst by varying such parameters as the thickness and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2015-06, Vol.5 (1), p.11277-11277, Article 11277
Main Authors: Um, Han-Don, Kim, Namwoo, Lee, Kangmin, Hwang, Inchan, Hoon Seo, Ji, Yu, Young J., Duane, Peter, Wober, Munib, Seo, Kwanyong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/301/299/946
639/638/298/917
Etching
Humanities and Social Sciences
Metals
multidisciplinary
Photovoltaic cells
Photovoltaics
Redox reactions
Science
Short-circuit current
Silicon
Solar cells
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Summary:A systematic study was conducted into the use of metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) to fabricate vertical Si microwire arrays, with several models being studied for the efficient redox reaction of reactants with silicon through a metal catalyst by varying such parameters as the thickness and morphology of the metal film. By optimizing the MacEtch conditions, high-quality vertical Si microwires were successfully fabricated with lengths of up to 23.2 μm, which, when applied in a solar cell, achieved a conversion efficiency of up to 13.0%. These solar cells also exhibited an open-circuit voltage of 547.7 mV, a short-circuit current density of 33.2 mA/cm 2 and a fill factor of 71.3% by virtue of the enhanced light absorption and effective carrier collection provided by the Si microwires. The use of MacEtch to fabricate high-quality Si microwires therefore presents a unique opportunity to develop cost-effective and highly efficient solar cells.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/srep11277