Realization of Colored Multicrystalline Silicon Solar Cells with SiO2/SiNx:H Double Layer Antireflection Coatings

We presented a method to use SiO 2 /SiN x :H double layer antireflection coatings (DARC) on acid textures to fabricate colored multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar cells. Firstly, we modeled the perceived colors and short-circuit current density (Jsc) as a function of SiN x :H thickness for single layer SiN x :H, and as a function of SiO 2 thickness for the case of SiO 2 /SiN x :H (DARC) with fixed SiN x :H (refractive indexn=2.1at 633 nm, and thickness = 80 nm). The simulation results show that it is possible to achieve various colors by adjusting the thickness of SiO 2 to avoid significant optical losses. Therefore, we carried out the experiments by using electron beam (e-beam) evaporation to deposit a layer of SiO 2 over the standard SiN x :H for156×156 mm 2 mc-Si solar cells which were fabricated by a conventional process. Semisphere reflectivity over 300 nm to 1100 nm and I-V measurements were performed for grey yellow, purple, deep blue, and green cells. The efficiency of colored SiO 2 /SiN x :H DARC cells is comparable to that of standard SiN x :H light blue cells, which shows the potential of colored cells in industrial applications.