Synthesis Of Silicon Nanowires For Photovoltaic Solar Cells

Controlled and ordered growth of Si nanowires through a low-temperature fabrication method compatible with Solar cell and CMOS processing lines is a highly desirable replacement to future electronic fabrication technologies as well as a candidate for a low-cost route to inexpensive photovoltaic.This stems from the fact that traditional CMOS-based electronics are hitting physical barriers that are slowing the Moore's Law trend as well as the demand for an inexpensive solar cell technology that can obtain grid parity.A fractional factorial growth study is presented that compares the growth of A1 catalyst Si nanowires at temperatures ranging from 150 to 400?.Dense and prolific growth of Si nanowires on<111>and<100>Si substrates was obtained using Al catalyst at temperatures of 400?.An overview is given that considers all growth experiments and includes SEM analysis of individual Si nanowires grown on Si substrates showing nanowires to be crystalline and amorphous in nature.Optical transmission data of bulk Si nanowire films on Silicon substrates showed that the collective optical properties were highly desirable as transmission was minimized over the 300 to 1400 nm wavelength range at different transmission angles.Collectively,a growth platform is presented from which further material study will yield advanced Si nanowire based devices,satisfying a demand by the ITRS and the scientific community at large for electronics that can continue the Moore's law trend and inexpensive photovoltaic-capable of meeting the consumer demand for grid parity.