Thomas Käsebier

Extremely low surface recombination velocities in black silicon passivated by atomic layer deposition

We investigate the optical and opto-electronic properties of black silicon (b-Si) nanostructures passivated with Al2O3. The b-Si nanostructures significantly improve the absorption of silicon due to superior anti-reflection and light trapping properties. By coating the b-Si nanostructures with a conformal layer of Al2O3 by atomic layer deposition, the surface recombination velocity can be effectively reduced. We show that control of plasma-induced subsurface damage is equally important to achieve low interface recombination. Surface recombination velocities of Seff<13 cm/s have been measured for an optimized structure which, like the polished reference, exhibits lifetimes in the millisecond range.

Broadband iridium wire grid polarizer for UV applications

In this Letter, we present an iridium wire grid polarizer with a large spectral working range from IR down to the UV spectral region. The required grating period of 100 nm for an application below a wavelength of 300 nm was realized using a spatial frequency doubling technique based on ultrafast electron beam writing. The optical performance of the polarizer at a wavelength of 300 nm is a transmittance of almost 60% and an extinction ratio of about 30 (15 dB). Furthermore, the oxidation resistance is discussed.

Conformal Transparent Conducting Oxides on Black Silicon

higher than those of state-of-the-art homojunction silicon solar cells. One reason is the interfacial electronic properties of the b-Si layer. In the literature, typically a thermally grown oxide is used to passivate the statistically structured surface of b-Si and metal contacts are fi red into the oxide. Because of the enhanced surface area of the b-Si surface, electronic transport is strongly infl uenced by surface-recombination and complex fi eld distributions inside the nanostructured needles. In this communication, we address the question: is a perfectly conformal coating with a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) possible on a b-Si surface and how does the TCO affect the optical properties of the

Black silicon for solar cell applications

We present experimental results and rigorous numerical simulations on the optical properties of Black Silicon surfaces and their implications for solar cell applications. The Black Silicon is fabricated by reactive ion etching of crystalline silicon with SF6 and O2. This produces a surface consisting of sharp randomly distributed needle like features with a characteristic lateral spacing of about a few hundreds of nanometers and a wide range of aspect ratios depending on the process parameters. Due to the very low reflectance over a broad spectral range and a pronounced light trapping effect at the silicon absorption edge such Black Silicon surface textures are beneficial for photon management in photovoltaic applications. We demonstrate that those light trapping properties prevail upon functionalization of the Black Silicon with dielectric coatings, necessary to construct a photovoltaic system. The experimental investigations are accompanied by rigorous numerical simulations based on three dimensional models of the Black Silicon structures. Those simulations allow insights into the light trapping mechanism and the influence of the substrate thickness onto the optical performance of the Black Silicon. Finally we use an analytical solar cell model to relate the optical properties of Black Silicon to the maximum photo current and solar cell efficiency in dependence of the solar cell thickness. The results are compared to standard light trapping schemes and implications especially for thin solar cells are discussed.

The structural and optical properties of black silicon by inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching

Black Silicon nanostructures are fabricated by Inductively Coupled Plasma Reactive Ion Etching (ICP-RIE) in a gas mixture of SF6 and O2 at non-cryogenic temperatures. The structure evolution and the dependency of final structure geometry on the main processing parameters gas composition and working pressure are investigated and explained comprehensively. The optical properties of the produced Black Silicon structures, a distinct antireflection and light trapping effect, are resolved by optical spectroscopy and conclusively illustrated by optical simulations of accurate models of the real nanostructures. By that the structure sidewall roughness is found to be critical for an elevated reflectance of Black Silicon resulting from non-optimized etching processes. By analysis of a multitude of structures fabricated under different conditions, approximate limits for the range of feasible nanostructure geometries are derived. Finally, the technological applicability of Black Silicon fabrication by ICP-RIE is discussed.

Broadband antireflective structures applied to high resistive float zone silicon in the THz spectral range

The optimal structural parameters for an antireflective structure in high resistive float zone silicon are deduced for a rectangular and a hexagonal structure. For this the dependence of the effective index from the filling factor was calculated for both grating types. The structures were manufactured by the Bosch-process. The required structural parameters for a continuous profile require an adaption of the fabrication process. Challenges are the depth and the slight positive slope of the structures. Starting point for the realization of the antireflective structures was the manufacturing of deep binary gratings. A rectangular structure and a hexagonal structure with period 50 mum and depth 500 mum were realized. Measurements with a THz time domain spectroscopy setup show an increase of the electric field amplitude of 15.2% for the rectangular grating and 21.76% for the hexagonal grating. The spectral analysis shows that the bandwidth of the hexagonal grating reaches from 0.1 to 2 THz.

Iridium wire grid polarizer fabricated using atomic layer deposition

In this work, an effective multistep process toward fabrication of an iridium wire grid polarizer for UV applications involving a frequency doubling process based on ultrafast electron beam lithography and atomic layer deposition is presented. The choice of iridium as grating material is based on its good optical properties and a superior oxidation resistance. Furthermore, atomic layer deposition of iridium allows a precise adjustment of the structural parameters of the grating much better than other deposition techniques like sputtering for example. At the target wavelength of 250 nm, a transmission of about 45% and an extinction ratio of 87 are achieved.

Tungsten wire grid polarizer for applications in the DUV spectral range

In this paper, we present a broadband wire grid polarizer with a spectral working range down to a wavelength of 193 nm. Tungsten is chosen as grating material because it provides a high extinction ratio and transmission compared with other common grating materials. The fabrication of the grating with 100 nm period was accomplished using a spatial frequency doubling approach based on ultrafast electron beam lithography and a sophisticated deposition technique. At a wavelength of 193 nm, a transmission of about 44% and an extinction ratio of 20 was measured.

Optical modeling of needle like silicon surfaces produced by an ICP-RIE process

We present results of rigorous optical modeling of reactive ion etched crystalline silicon surfaces, so called Black Silicon, for different etching parameters and compare them to experimental data. Reactive ion etching of crystalline silicon with SF6 and O2 can produce a surface consisting of sharp randomly distributed needle like features with a characteristic lateral spacing of about a few hundreds of nanometers and a wide range of aspect ratios depending on the process parameters. Due to the very low reflectance over a broad spectral range such surface textures can be beneficial for photon management in photovoltaic applications. To gain a detailed understanding of the optical properties of Black Silicon surfaces we recovered the full three dimensional geometry of differently etched samples. With these data we calculated the optical response using the finite differences time domain method. From the calculations we will give insight into the magnitude of resonant phenomena within the Black Silicon and the resulting near field enhancement. Furthermore we will present carrier generation profiles which quantify the effect of absorption enhancement due to the nanostructured surface. We also investigate the angular forward scattering distribution into the silicon substrate and the resulting path length enhancement which is crucial for the near band edge absorption especially in thin solar cells.

Plasmonic properties of aluminum nanorings generated by double patterning

In this Letter we evaluate a technique for the efficient and flexible generation of aluminum nanorings based on double patterning and variable shaped electron beam lithography. The process is demonstrated by realizing nanorings with diameters down to 90 nm and feature sizes of 30 nm utilizing a writing speed of one ring per microsecond. Because of redepositions caused by involved etching processes, the material of the rings and, therefore, the impact on the plasmonic properties, are unknown. This issue, which is commonly encountered when metals are nanostructured, is solved by adapting a realistic simulation model that accounts for geometry details and effective material properties. Based on this model, the redepositions are quantified, the plasmonic properties are investigated, and a design tool for the very general class of nanofabrication techniques involving the etching of metals is provided.