Texturisation of multicrystalline silicon wafers for solar cells by reactive ion etching through colloidal masks

Texturing of multicrystalline silicon solar cells by reactive ion etching (RIE) is demonstrated as an attractive solution for lowering of reflectance. A suitable sequence of processes is developed to exploit the advantage of RIE in combination with "natural lithography" based on colloidal masks. A homogeneous particle coverage on 4 in. monocrystalline wafers and on 100 X 100 mm(2) multicrystalline wafers (Baysix) has been achieved. Finally, texture is obtained by RIE patterning. Data of,optical properties are presented. A significant lowering of the reflection of textured wafers compared to untexture is achieved for all states of solar cell production. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.