Black Silicon formation using dry etching for solar cells applications

A study on the formation of Black Silicon on crystalline silicon surface using SF6/O-2 and SF6/O-2/CH4 based plasmas in a reactive ion etching (RIE) system is presented. The effect of the RF power, chamber pressure, process time, gas flow rates, and gas mixtures on the texture of silicon surface has been analyzed. Completely Black Silicon surfaces containing pyramid like structures have been obtained, using an optimized mask-free plasma process. Moreover, the Black Silicon surfaces have demonstrated average values of 1% and 4% for specular and diffuse reflectance respectively, feature that is suitable for the fabrication of low cost solar cells. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.