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Synthesis and Characterization of Highly Transparent Sol-Gel Glass for Photovoltaic Applications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

Mariyappan Shanmugam ,
Mahdi Farrokh Baroughi ,
XingZhong Yan  and
David Galipeau
Mariyappan Shanmugam
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, South Dakota State University, SD 57007, USA
Mahdi Farrokh Baroughi
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, South Dakota State University, SD 57007, USA
XingZhong Yan
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, South Dakota State University, SD 57007, USA
David Galipeau
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, South Dakota State University, SD 57007, USA
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Abstract

Room temperature sol-gel synthesis and optical characterization of highly transparent silica glass for photovoltaic (PV) applications is presented in this paper. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), Ethanol, Hydrochloric acid (HCl) and deionized water were used as precursors in the volumetric ratio of 4:4.3:0.1:3.2 ml. Silica glass of thickness in the range of 0.5-1 cm were obtained with an average transmittance of 93% and absorption coefficient (α) of 0.08 cm−1 in a wide wavelength window of 350-1100 nm. Application of the developed sol-gel silica glass on solar ray concentration, anti-reflective coating (ARC) and effect of surface passivation on silicon wafers were examined. Carrier lifetime of the sol-gel silica passivated silicon substrate was 16 s and the calculated surface recombination velocity of the was 2200 cm/sec. Very low value of α, high transparency in a wide spectral window and effective surface passivation on silicon suggest that sol-gel processed silica glass can be a potential cost effective candidate for different PV applications.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1113: Symposium F – Low-Cost Solution-Based Deposition of Inorganic Films for Electronic/Photonic Devices , 2008 , 1113-F09-24
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

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References

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