Laser Assisted Texturing for Thin and Highly Efficient Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Cells

A method for creating surface textures based on planes on monocrystalline silicon has been developed, using laser openings in a SiNx etch mask followed by a KOH etch. Both inverted pyramids and patch textures with good area coverage have been successfully demonstrated, with feature sizes of 15 – 50 μm, and an area coverage of 94 % and 76 % for patch structures and inverted pyramid structures respectively, as estimated by reflectance measurements and ray-tracing simulations.