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Influence of ultrathin gahnite anti-reflection coating on the power conversion efficiency of polycrystalline silicon solar cell

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Abstract

Current research has concentrated on the development of ZnAl2O4 (gahnite) spinel nanostructure through anti-reflection coating (ARC) material for improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) of polycrystalline silicon solar cells. Radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique was adopted to deposit transparent polycrystalline gahnite nano-microfilms at room temperature. Material deposition was performed in a pure argon atmosphere on polycrystalline silicon solar cell substrates with a coating duration of 5–45 min. The influence of gahnite spinel nanostructure-integrated coating on the efficiency of silicon solar cell was explored by investigating physical, electrical, optical characteristics and temperature distribution profiles. The synthesized ARC material has gahnite spinel crystal structure composed of two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets. Atomic force microscopy study revealed that the thickness of synthesized gahnite 2D nanosheets was about 50 nm. The resistivity of gahnite coated with the time duration of 35 (T-IV) minutes on silicon solar cell was measured to be 1.93 × 10−3 Ω cm. The nano-microfilms showed a great optical transmittance (97%) in the wavelength range of 300–800 nm. The maximum PCE of 21.27% at open atmospheric condition and 23.83% at controlled atmospheric condition had been achieved for 35 (T-IV) minutes of gahnite nano-microfilm coating and it has been proved that gahnite nano-microfilms assists the absorption of more photons on a polycrystalline silicon solar cell substrate. The results acquired indicate that the gahnite nano-microfilm is an appropriate ARC material for polycrystalline silicon solar cells to enhance the PCE.

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Acknowledgements

Author (Gobinath Velu Kaliyannan) would like to thank the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pusa, New Delhi, India, for the award of the Direct Senior Research Fellowship (Direct – SRF, File No.: 08/678(0002)/2019-EMR-I, ACK. No.: 132297/2k18/1). The author thanks Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, for the providing research facilities for the development through a start-up research Grant (Ref. No.: YSS/2015/001151)

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Erode, Tamil Nadu, 638060, India

    Gobinath Velu Kaliyannan, Senthil Velmurugan Palanisamy, Rajasekar Rathanasamy & Moganapriya Chinnasamy

  2. Department of Chemistry, Bharathiar University Arts and Science College, Erode, Tamil Nadu, 638104, India

    Manivasakan Palanisamy

  3. Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India

    Sathish Kumar Palaniappan

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  1. Gobinath Velu Kaliyannan
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Velu Kaliyannan, G., Palanisamy, S.V., Rathanasamy, R. et al. Influence of ultrathin gahnite anti-reflection coating on the power conversion efficiency of polycrystalline silicon solar cell. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 31, 2308–2319 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-019-02763-2

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