Surface texturing for advanced light management in crystalline silicon solar cells: From submicron pyramid fabrication to outdoor validation

Silicon micropyramids (SiMPs) are the standard texturization structure in the current industrial crystalline silicon solar cells. However, their antireflection effects, particularly at oblique angles, are limited. Silicon submicron/nanostructures offer superior broad-angle light management. This study reports a rapid, single-step method to fabricate dense silicon submicron pyramids (SiSMPs, average base of 0.68–0.76 μm) by adding indium tin oxide to a conventional alkaline etchant, generating essential nucleation agent. The engineered SiSMP structures exhibit strong Mie scattering resonances and consequently lower reflectance than SiMP textures across a broad wavelength range. Through combined experiment and simulation, we demonstrate that solar cell architecture - correlated with coating films on the textured surface - must be appropriately selected to effectively leverage SiSMPs' optical benefits across all wavelengths. With enhanced optical performance and improved current paths between Ag electrodes and the silicon surface, SiSMPs-textured solar cells achieve a 1 % absolute increase in power conversion efficiency over SiMPs-textured counterparts. Furthermore, these cells show quasi-omnidirectional antireflection performance, validated by both laboratory measurements and outdoor testing. Benefiting from advanced light management, SiSMPs-textured solar cells yield 6.8 % higher daily energy output and demonstrate superior performance under shaded conditions, positioning SiSMPs as a promising texture for future crystalline silicon photovoltaics.