Silica Nanosphere Lithography Defined Light Trapping Structures for Ultra-thin Si Photovoltaics

Periodic arrays of low-aspect ratio silicon nanopillars strongly reduce front surface reflection over a broad wavelength range. In this study, we numerically simulate the reflection of light for thick crystalline silicon substrates nanostructured through a combination of silica nanosphere lithography (SNL) and metal-assisted chemical etching (MaCE), producing ordered arrays of nanopillars with hexagonal periodicity. Using statistical methods, we show that the simulated measurements are in good agreement with the spectrophotometry measurements of the fabricated nanopillars.