Electrical and optical properties of Si-doped indium tin oxides as transparent electrode and anti-reflection coating for solar cells

We have studied the electrical and optical properties of Si-doped indium tin oxides (ITSOs) as transparent electrodes and anti-reflection coatings for Si-based solar cells. The ITSO thin films were obtained by co-sputtering of ITO and SiO₂ targets under target power control. The resistivity of the ITSO thin films deposited at 0.625 in terms of power ratio (ITO/SiO₂) were 391 Ωcm. In this condition, the ITSO thin films showed very high resistivity compared to sputted pure ITO thin films (1.08 × 10⁻³ Ωcm). However, refractive index of ITSO thin films deposited at the same condition at 500 nm is somewhat lowered to 1.97 compared to ITO thin films (2.06). The fabricated graded refractive index AR coatings using ITO, ITSO, and SiO₂ thin films kept over 80% of transmittance regardless of their thickness varing from 97 nm to 1196 nm because of their low extinction coefficient. As the AR coating with graded refractive indices using ITO, ITSO, and SiO₂ layers was applied to general silicon-based solar cell, the current level increased nearly twice more than that of bare silicon solar cell without AR coating.     

基于等离子体增强化学气相沉积技术的光电子器件多层抗反膜的设计和制作

针对光电子器件端面抗反镀膜的要求,研究了基于等离子体增强化学气相沉积(PECVD)技术的多层抗反膜的设计和制作.首先,对影响SiN_x折射率的因素进行了实验研究,确定了具有大折射率差的SiO₂/SiN_x材料的PECVD沉积条件.根据理论计算分析,设计了四层SiO₂/SiN_x抗反膜结构,能够在70 nm的波长范围内实现低于10^-4的反射率     

High-temperature oxidation behavior of SiO2 protective layer deposited on IN738LC superalloy by combustion CVD (CCVD)

A SiO₂ protective coating was deposited on an IN738LC alloy using CCVD. The physical properties of a SiO₂ protective layer are influenced by the amount of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, C₈H₂₀O₄Si). Therefore, the SiO₂ protective coating was deposited using different TEOS concentrations and deposition times to optimize the conditions. The deposited coating layer was confirmed to be a SiO₂ layer by SEM, EDX, and ESCA analyses. The oxidation resistance of the alloy was evaluated by thermo gravimetric analysis. The oxidation resistance of the SiO₂ protective coating was highest when the coating was processed at a TEOS concentration of 0.05 mol/l, which is the highest concentration of source material used. The surface roughness of the SiO₂ protective layer also increased with increasing TEOS concentration. The surface roughness of the coating had little effect on the oxidation resistance for a film thickness of approximately 1 μm.     

Influence of SiO2 additional layers on the laser induced damage threshold of Ta2O5 films

A series of Ta₂O₅ films with different SiO₂ additional layers including overcoat, undercoat and interlayer was prepared by electron beam evaporation under the same deposition process. Absorption of samples was measured using the surface thermal lensing (STL) technique. The electric field distributions of the samples were theoretical predicted using thin film design software (TFCalc). The laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) was assessed using an Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm with a pulse length of 12 ns. It was found that SiO₂ additional layers resulted in a slight increase of the absorption, whereas they exerted little influence on the microdefects. The electric field distribution among the samples was unchanged by adding an SiO₂ overcoat and undercoat, yet was changed by adding an interlayer. SiO₂ undercoat. The interlayer improved the LIDT greatly, whereas the SiO₂ overcoat had little effect on the LIDT.     

Electrophysical characteristics of MIS structures based on graded band-gap MBE HgCdTe with grown in situ CdTe as a dielectric

Capacitance-voltage characteristics of MIS structures based on graded band-gap heteroepitaxial HgCdTe (x = 0.22–0.23 and 0.32–0.36) with grown in situ CdTe as a passivating coating are examined. The average surface-state densities as well as mobile- and fixed-charge densities are determined for the HgCdTe/CdTe, HgCdTe/CdTe–SiO₂–Si₃N₄, and HgCdTe/CdTe–ZnTe systems. It is shown that grown in situ CdTe forms a fairly qualitative interface, and deposition of additional SiO₂–Si₃N₄ and ZnTe layers makes it possible to control the electric strength and charges in the dielectric used.     

Nanostructured porous SiO2 films for antireflection coatings

Thin films with a low refractive index play an important role in optics, optoelectronics, and microelectronics. In this study, we present nanostructured porous SiO₂ films fabricated by using a glancing angle deposition technique. These nanostructured porous SiO₂ films deposited at an angle of 85° show very low refractive indices of 1.08 at 633 nm. As an application, a four-layer antireflection coating for visible wavelength is designed and fabricated using SiO₂ material only. The normal incidence reflectance of the antireflection coating averaged between 400 and 800 nm is about 0.04%. The microstructure and the surface morphology are also investigated by using a scanning electron microscope.     

Preparation of sol-gel ZrO2-SiO2 highly reflective multilayer films and laser-induced damage threshold characteristic

Sol-gel (ZrO₂/SiO₂)¹² ZrO₂ films were prepared by spin coating method. The reflectivity spectrum of the films was measured with a Lambda 900 spectrometer. In order to investigate laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) characteristic of highly reflective films, one-layer ZrO₂ and SiO₂ films, two-layer ZrO₂/SiO₂ and SiO₂/ZrO₂ films were also prepared by spin coating method. LIDT of each film was measured. Damage morphology after laser irradiation was characterized by optical microscopy (Nikon E600K). The experimental results showed that the reflectivity of (ZrO₂/SiO₂)¹² ZrO₂ film at 1064 nm and 355 nm wavelength is 99.7%. The LIDT results decreases as the number of layer of films increases. All the films have similar damage morphology. The experimental results are explained by the different temperature profiles of the films.     

SiO_2胶体晶体自组装技术

介绍了垂直沉降法和旋涂法制备SiO2胶体晶体,并对两种方法制备的胶体晶体在宏观形貌、微观结构及光子带隙性质进行了比较。采用改进的Stober法在乙醇介质中合成粒径不同、单分散性较好的SiO2微球,用垂直沉积法和旋涂法制备出有序性较好的密排结构的SiO2胶体晶体。宏观照片表明,用旋涂法制备的SiO2胶体晶体经白光照射出现的光柱呈6次对称,而垂直沉降法制备的胶体晶体表面出现条纹。SEM分析表明,选用不同溶剂在同等旋涂工艺下制备SiO2胶体晶体,用乙醇和乙二醇混合溶液作溶剂制备出的SiO2胶体晶体质量最好。透射光谱表明,垂直沉降法所制备的胶体晶体在(111)方向具有明显的光子带隙性质,而旋涂法制备的胶体晶体则不明显。     

Study on the feasibility of double stack high reflector coating at 355 nm

The feasibility of the idea of double stack HR coating was discussed in this paper both in theory and experiment. The theoretical simulation was made by employing optical coating design software. The analysis results showed that the design of double stack HR coating was feasible, which made the HR coating have ascendancy not only at reflectance but also at laser damage resistance. Then, the LaF₃/MgF₂ HR coating, the HfO₂/SiO₂ HR coating and the double stack HR coating were prepared for comparison, respectively. Transmittance spectra, surface morphologies and damage morphologies of these coatings were measured. Measurement of laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of S polarized light of the samples was performed at 355 nm, 45° incidence. The measurement results showed that the LIDT value of the LaF₃/MgF₂ HR coating with 30 layers was very high, but the reflectance was low. When the layer number was increased up to 36, lots of cracks appeared on the surface of the LaF₃/MgF₂ HR coating, with the LIDT badly declining. It was thought that the residual stress resulted in the cracks and the decline of the LIDT. The spectra measurement showed the double stack HR coatings could provide higher reflectance and wider reflection band than LaF₃/MgF₂ HR coating with less layer pairs. Any crack was also not found on the surface of the double stack coatings. Meanwhile, the double stack HR coatings possessed greater laser damage resistances than the HfO₂/SiO₂ HR coating. The damage morphologies showed that the damage of the double stack coating was even milder than that of the HfO₂/SiO₂ coating. Therefore, the double stack design was effective to gain high reflectance and great UV laser radiation resistance simultaneously.     

基于时间控厚离子束溅射技术的宽带减反膜制备

 为了制备满足设计要求的宽角度、宽波段减反膜,利用离子束溅射沉积技术,在时间-功率控厚的模式下,对膜层沉积速率进行了精确修正。在实验中,利用时间-功率控厚的离子束溅射沉积技术,选择HfO₂和SiO₂作为高低折射率组合,在超抛ZF6玻璃基底上制备了宽角度、宽带减反膜,通过对实验后的透过率光谱曲线的数值反演计算,获得膜层厚度修正系数,初步得到了沉积速率随沉积时间变化的规律。利用修正后的沉积参数制备设计的膜系,在0°~30°入射角度下,600~1 200 nm波段的平均透过率达到99%以上。     

Wavelength dependent damage thresholds of a bandpass filter under femtosecond laser irradiation

Laser induced damage thresholds of a bandpass filter with TiO₂/SiO₂ coatings are measured, with the laser delivering wavelength tunable, high-repetition rate, and ultrashort pulses. The multiple wavelengths are selected within the transitional region between the filter passband and stopband. A method that scans the sample along the focused laser beam is employed to vary the spot size on the coating and, consequently, change the fluence. The damage is detected by both a CCD camera and by monitoring the transmitted power simultaneously. During the experiment, an increase in the filter transmission was observed prior to damage occurrence. We demonstrate that damage induced on the coating by the high repetition rate, femtosecond pulses is governed by macroscopic thermal behavior rather than by critical free electron density in the conduction band. In addition, the process of energy deposition is determined by intrinsic nature of the coating materials. Further analysis indicates that the thresholds as a function of wavelength are determined by the combination of the properties of TiO₂, interference field in the coating stack, and thermal effects. Moreover, we attribute the observed increase in the coating transmission to these thermal effects rather than ionization processes.     

Influence of remaining C on hardness and emissivity of SiC/SiO2 nanocomposite coating

SiC/SiO₂ nanocomposite coating was deposited by electron beam-physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) through depositing SiC target on pre-oxidized 316 stainless steel (SS) substrate. High melting point component C remained and covered on the surface of ingot after evaporation. When SiC ingot was reused, remaining C had an effect on the composition, hardness and emissivity of SiC/SiO₂ nanocomposite coating. The composition of ingot and coating was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The influence of remaining C on hardness and spectral normal emissivity of SiC/SiO₂ nanocomposite coating was investigated by nanoindentation and Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), respectively. The results show that remaining C has a large effect on hardness and a minor effect on spectral normal emissivity of SiC/SiO₂ nanocomposite coating.     

Investigation on antireflection coatings for Al:ZnO in silicon thin-film solar cells

We numerically investigate the role of antireflection (AR) coatings, composed of SiO₂ and/or ZnO, in suppression of interfacial reflections in the presence of the transparent conducting oxide, Al-doped ZnO (AZO). Three structures are simulated: (a) AR coatings in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and flat panel displays, (b) AR coating located between the glass and the AZO, and (c) same as the case b except the involvement of another AR coating between the AZO and the amorphous silicon layers. The weighted average transmittance according to the AM1.5 solar spectrum, the photovoltaic transmittance (T_pv), suggests that there is no evident difference between the structures a and b, especially when the layer number of AR coatings is less than three. An effective way to improve T_pv is presented in the structure c, where T_pv is increased from 73.54% to 76.32% with a three-layered AR coating located between AZO and a-Si. It implies that the suppression of interfacial reflections, resulting from the considerable mismatch of refractive indices at the interface of AZO and a-Si, would benefit the efficiency improvement of silicon thin-film solar cells.     

Influence of porosity on laser damage threshold of sol–gel ZrO2 and SiO2 monolayer films

Monolayer ZrO₂ sol–gel and physical vapor deposition (PVD) films were prepared by spin method and electron beam evaporation method, respectively. Monolayer sol–gel SiO₂ films were prepared with the dip-coating method from acid and base catalyzed SiO₂ sols, respectively. Some of the SiO₂ base films were subsequently treated in saturated ammonia gas for 20 h. The laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) of each film was measured. Properties of the films were analyzed by using Stanford photo-thermal solutions (SPTSs), ellipsometer, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical microscopy. The experimental results showed that porous ratio is an essential factor to decide the LIDT for sol–gel films, which benefits the pressure exerted on the film or substrate by the moving particle to dissipate. The films with lower thermal absorption and higher porous ratio have higher LIDT.     

Effects of coating parameters on the morphology of SiO2-coated TiO2 and the pigmentary properties

SiO₂-coated TiO₂ powders were prepared by the chemical deposition method starting from rutile TiO₂ and Na₂SiO₃. The SiO₂-coated TiO₂ powders were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Zeta-potential analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The evolution of island-like and uniform coating layers was found to depend upon the ratio of Na₂SiO₃ to TiO₂, reaction temperature, and pH. The whiteness and brightness of the SiO₂-coated TiO₂ powders increased in response to an increase in the SiO₂ loading, but there was a maximum value among the light scattering indexes. The SiO₂-coated TiO₂ powders possessed more negative Zeta potentials than the naked TiO₂. The dispersibility of the SiO₂-coated TiO₂ powders with the continuous and uniform SiO₂ coating layers was higher than that of the naked TiO₂ and the SiO₂-coated TiO₂ powders with the island-like SiO₂ coating layers.     

Characteristics of nodular defect in HfO2/SiO2 multilayer optical coatings

Laser-induced damage is associated with nodular defects in HfO₂/SiO₂ multilayer films. In order to investigate the damage characteristics of HfO₂/SiO₂ multilayer mirrors and find the information of improving laser-induced damage threshold, nodular defects are characterized by multiple analytical techniques; the damage morphologies induced by nodular-ejections are presented; the depths of nodular-ejection pits are investigated; the laser-induced damage threshold of zero probability and the stabilities of nodular-ejection pits exposed to repetitive illuminations are studied. Results show that domes in the film surface are nodular defects. Reliable depth information of nodular-ejection pits is obtained by counting layers from the damage edge. The depth statistical result implies nodular defects in these samples are usually originated from deep seeds. Some process optimizations suggestions are given based on the depth information. A simple tractable method is proposed to determine the functional damage threshold of these HfO₂/SiO₂ multilayer films basing on the damage experiments.     

单层SiO2物理膜与化学膜激光损伤机理的对比研究

采用离子束溅射沉积技术和溶胶-凝胶技术在K9基片上镀制了厚度相近的SiO₂单层介质膜，用表面热透镜技术对两类膜层分别进行了热吸收及实时动态热畸变实验测试，结合散射光阈值测试及实验前后膜层的显微观测，对相同基底、相同膜层材料而采用不同方法镀制的光学膜层，发现化学膜的强激光损伤阈值远高于相应物理膜；从热力学响应及膜层特性差异的角度揭示了化学膜层的强激光损伤阈值远高于相应物理膜层的微观机理，即物理膜具有高吸收下的致密膜层快传导的基底热冲击效应，而化学膜则有低吸收下的疏松空隙填充慢传导的延缓效应，大量的实验数据及现象都证实了这一结论. 关键词： 强激光辐照损伤 损伤形貌 热冲击 热吸收     

Stress, absorptance and laser-induced damage threshold properties of 355-nm HR coatings

A number of 355-nm Al₂O₃/MgF₂ high-reflectance (HR) coatings were prepared by electron-beam evaporation. The influences of the number of coating layers and deposition temperature on the 355-nm Al₂O₃/MgF₂ HR coatings were investigated. The stress was measured by viewing the substrate deformation before and after coating deposition using an optical interferometer. The laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of the samples was measured by a 355-nm Nd:YAG laser with a pulse width of 8 ns. Transmittance and reflectance of the samples were measured by a Lambda 900 spectrometer. It was found that absorptance was the main reason to result in a low LIDT of 355-nm Al₂O₃/MgF₂ HR coatings. The stress in Al₂O₃/MgF₂ HR coatings played an unimportant role in the LIDT, although MgF₂ is known to have high tensile stress.     

Overcoat dependence of laser-induced damage threshold of 355 nm HR coatings

A series of HR coatings, with and without overcoat, were prepared by electron beam evaporation using the same deposition process. The laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) was measured by a 355 nm Nd:YAG laser with a pulse width of 8 ns. Damage morphologies of samples were observed by Leica-DMRXE Microscope. The stress was measured by viewing the substrate deformation before and after coatings deposition using an optical interferometer. Reflectance of the samples was measured by Lambda 900 Spectrometer. The theoretical results of electric field distributions of the samples were calculate by thin film design software (TFCalc). It was found that SiO₂ overcoat had improved the LIDT greatly, while MgF₂ overcoat had little effect on the LIDT because of its high stress in the HR coatings. The damage morphologies were different among HR coatings with and without overcoats.     

Effect of SiO2 protective layer on the femtosecond laser-induced damage of HfO2/SiO2 multilayer high-reflective coatings

Two kinds of HfO₂/SiO₂ 800 nm high-reflective (HR) coatings, with and without SiO₂ protective layer were deposited by electron beam evaporation. Laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDT) were measured for all samples with femtosecond laser pulses. The surface morphologies and the depth information of all samples were observed by Leica optical microscopy and WYKO surface profiler, respectively. It is found that SiO₂ protective layer had no positive effect on improving the LIDT of HR coating. A simple model including the conduction band electron production via multiphoton ionization and impact ionization is used to explain this phenomenon. Theoretical calculations show that the damage occurs first in the SiO₂ protective layer for HfO₂/SiO₂ HR coating with SiO₂ protective layer. The relation of LIDT for two kinds of HfO₂/SiO₂ HR coatings in calculation agrees with the experiment result.