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High-performance antireflection coatings utilizing nanoporous layers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 June 2011

David J. Poxson ,
Mei-Ling Kuo ,
Frank W. Mont ,
Y.-S. Kim ,
Xing Yan ,
Roger E. Welser ,
Ashok K. Sood ,
Jaehee Cho ,
Shawn-Yu Lin  and
E. Fred Schubert
David J. Poxson
Affiliation:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA; poxsod@rpi.edu
Mei-Ling Kuo
Affiliation:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA; kuom@rpi.edu
Frank W. Mont
Affiliation:
Raydex Technology, Inc., Cambridge MA 02138; montf@raydextech.com
Y.-S. Kim
Affiliation:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA; kimy10@rpi.edu
Xing Yan
Affiliation:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA; yanx@rpi.edu
Roger E. Welser
Affiliation:
Magnolia Solar, Inc.; rwelser@magnoliasolar.com
Ashok K. Sood
Affiliation:
Magnolia Solar Inc.; aksood@magnoliasolar.com
Jaehee Cho
Affiliation:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA; choj6@rpi.edu
Shawn-Yu Lin
Affiliation:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA; sylin@rpi.edu
E. Fred Schubert
Affiliation:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA; efschubert@rpi.edu
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Abstract

To harness the full spectrum of solar energy, optical reflections at the surface of a solar photovoltaic cell must be reduced as much as possible over the relevant solar spectral range and over a wide range of incident angles. The development of antireflection coatings embodying omni-directionality over a wide range of wavelengths is challenging. Recently, nanoporous films, fabricated by oblique-angle deposition and having tailored- and very low-refractive index properties, have been demonstrated. Tailorability of the refractive index and the ability to realize films with a very low-refractive index are properties critical in the performance of broadband, omnidirectional antireflection coatings. As such, nanoporous materials are ideally suited for developing near-perfect antireflection coatings. Here, we discuss multilayer antireflection coatings with near-perfect transmittance over the spectral range of 400−2000 nm and over widely varying angles of acceptance, 0−90°. The calculated solar optical-to-electrical efficiency enhancement that can be attained with nanoporous multilayer coatings over single-layer quarter-wave films is 18%, making these coatings highly attractive for solar cell applications.

Keywords

Nanoscalethin filmopticalphotovoltaic
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Bulletin , Volume 36 , Issue 6: Photon management for photovoltaics , June 2011 , pp. 434 - 438
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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