Porous SiO2 films prepared by remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition - a novel antireflection coating technology for photovoltaic modules

In this work an innovative antireflection coating technology for photovoltaic modules based on remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition of porous SiO2 films is presented. We show that the proposed technology has the potential to significantly improve the performance of photovoltaic modules by effectively reducing the optical losses of the air/glass interface. As a result, the transmission of a glass pane measured at a single wavelength was increased from 91.7% to 100% by a single-layer porous SiO2 antireflection coating on both sides of the glass pane. Furthermore, a double-layer porous SiO2 antireflection coating on both sides of the glass pane increased the transmission weighted with the AM1.5G spectrum in the 400-1150 nm wavelength region from 91.6% to the remarkably high value of 99.4%. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.