An optimized texturing process for silicon solar cell substrates using TMAH

Random pyramidal texturing of silicon solar cell substrates allows to increase the short-circuit current of the device, and it is usually achieved, in commercial solar cells, by chemical anisotropic etching using a potassium hydroxide and isopropyl alcohol solution. Due to some drawbacks of these chemicals, alternative chemical etching solutions are required. Our successful results on the tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH), (CH3)(4)NOH, solution for silicon random texturing are reported. Heterojunction solar cells were deposited on textured substrates, indicating the feasibility of TMAH texturing for solar cell fabrication. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.