Transparent Nanowire Network Electrode for Textured Semiconductors

This work presents an inexpensive and easily manufacturable, highly conductive and transparent nanowire network electrode for textured semiconductors. It is based on lines of silver nanoparticles transformed into a nanowire network by microwave or furnace sintering. The nanonetwork electrode on crystalline silicon is demonstrated experimentally, with the nanoparticles self-assembling in the valleys between the pyramids of the textured surface. Optical experiments show that this conductive nanowire network electrode can be essentially invisible' when covered with the conventional anti-reflection coating (ARC), and thus could be employed in photovoltaic applications.