Optical Properties of Caf2 Thin Film Deposited on Borosilicate Glass and Its Electrical Performance in PV Module Applications
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applied sciences Article Optical Properties of CaF2 Thin Film Deposited on Borosilicate Glass and Its Electrical Performance in PV Module Applications Muhammad Aleem Zahid 1,2, Shahzada Qamar Hussain 3, Young Hyun Cho 1,* and Junsin Yi 1,* 1 College of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon 16419, Korea; [email protected] 2 Electrical Engineering Department, University of Engineering & Technology, Taxila 47050, Pakistan 3 Department of Physics, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, Lahore 54000, Pakistan; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (Y.H.C.); [email protected] (J.Y.) Received: 22 July 2020; Accepted: 11 August 2020; Published: 14 August 2020 Featured Application: Minimization of reflection losses in conventional and light weight PV modules. Abstract: Calcium fluoride (CaF2) is deposited via vacuum thermal evaporation on borosilicate glass to produce an anti-reflection coating for use in solar modules. Macleod’s essential simulation is used to optimize the thickness of the CaF coating on the glass. Experimentally, a 120 4 nm-thin CaF film 2 ± 2 on glass shows an average increase of ~4% in transmittance and a decrease of ~3.2% in reflectance, respectively, when compared to that of uncoated glass (Un CG), within the wavelength spectrum of approximately 350 to 1100 nm. The electrical PV performance of CaF2-coated glass (CaF2-CG) was analyzed for conventional and lightweight photovoltaic module applications. An improvement in the 2 short-circuit current (Jsc) from 38.13 to 39.07 mA/cm and an increase of 2.40% in the efficiency (η) was obtained when CaF2-CG glass was used instead of Un CG in a conventional module. Furthermore, 2 Jsc enhancement from 35.63 to 36.44 mA/cm and η improvement of 2.32% was observed when a very thin CaF2-CG was placed between the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and solar cell in a lightweight module. Keywords: high efficiency; reflection; transmittance; anti-reflection coating; calcium fluoride; conventional PV module; light weight PV module; statistical analysis 1. Introduction A typical photovoltaic (PV) module can be classified as a conventional or light weight module. In a conventional module, glass is used as a top cover and accounts for approximately 70% of the module weight. On the contrary, in lightweight c-Si PV modules, glass is replaced by acrylic (poly methyl methacrylate: PMMA) or other polymers [1–3] to enable such modules to be used in applications where the light weight of the PV module must be limited. Reflection losses are one of the major issues that decrease the effective efficiency of PV modules. A reflection loss of approximately 8% occurs at the front surface of the glass and PMMA because their higher refractive indexes are higher than that of air [4]. This issue can be resolved by using an anti-reflection coating (ARC) material with an ultra-low refractive index (much lower than that of glass) on the front surface of glass. The use of ARC has already been recognized as crucial for various optical and PV panel applications [5,6]. A simple and cost-effective ARC comprises a single layer coating of a material with a refractive index suitable for the desired wavelength spectrum [7]. In this context, optical coatings of fluoride and oxide materials have Appl. Sci. 2020, 10, 5647; doi:10.3390/app10165647 www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci Appl. Sci. 2020, 10, 5647 2 of 9 been investigated widely owing to their higher band gap. Optical coatings have been widely used in the areas of optoelectronics [8], optics [9], and PV modules [10]. Recently, magnesium fluoride (MgF2) has gained much attention as an ARC suitable for application on the front cover of PV modules, owing to its low refractive index (n = 1.37 at 600 nm); however, it was proven to be less durable in outdoor environments [11]. CaF2 belongs to a similar category of materials and has been widely investigated by the optics community [12], owing to its lower refractive index (1.43 at 600 nm), when compared to that of glass substrates. It also has a broad transmittance spectrum from 130 to 10,000 nm [13]. Furthermore, it exhibits less solubility in water when compared to MgF2 [14], which can be a significant factor in view of the chemical resistance towards environmental conditions. Furthermore, it is also used as an ARC in outdoor conditions, optical applications, IR imaging system, and photolithography systems [15]. Therefore, the application of CaF2 as an ARC for PV modules has been explored in this work. It is important to note that the excellent surface uniformity of ARC is highly dependent on the deposition technique. Numerous techniques have been introduced for depositing CaF2 thin films on substrates for various purposes such as electron beam evaporation [16–19], radio frequency magnetron sputtering [20], molecular beam epitaxial [21], pulsed laser deposition [22,23] and thermionic vacuum arc [24]. Of these techniques, thermal evaporation has been found to be the most suitable because of its advantages of large-area deposition, low-temperature, and simple process, and it has been proven to be a cheap fabrication process [25]. In this work, a CaF2 coating was deposited by vacuum thermal evaporation on borosilicate glass (BSG). In this process, the substrates were tilted and rotated at constant speed, resulting in the uniform deposition of the material. The thickness of the ARC was first optimized using the Essential Macleod simulation tool. The optical properties of the thermally evaporated CaF2 on the glass substrate were investigated using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. The electrical performance of the solar cell (SC) was compared by replacing the uncoated glass (Un CG), with CaF2-coated glass (CG) in a conventional PV module and placing a thin CaF2-CG between the PMMA and SC in the light weight PV module. 2. Materials and Methods An SC with an active area of ~2.5 2.8 cm2 was used as a reference SC. The BSG and PMMA × sheets were cut according to the active area of the SC. First, the substrates were cleaned sequentially with acetone, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and deionized water (DIW) for 10 min each in an ultra-sonic bath. The BSG substrates were dried by blowing N2 gas and then heated on a hot plate at ~100 ◦C for 20 min to remove moisture. The cleaned BSG substrates were loaded immediately into the vacuum thermal evaporation chamber to deposit the thin CaF2 as the ARC. The deposition was performed 6 at ~110 A current and under a pressure of ~10− torr. The thickness of the CaF2 coating on the glass was measured by nano-view Spectroscopic Ellipsometer MF-1000 which was 120 4 nm. The PMMA ± was cleaned using soapy water and dried by blowing N2 gas. Finally, the electrical parameters such as the short circuit current (Jsc) and efficiency (η) were characterized by a light-current–voltage (LIV) measurement system under Air Mass 1.5 G 1 sun illumination conditions (100 mW/cm2). The potential was swept from short circuit condition towards open circuit. The step voltage and delay time were 10 mV and 1 ms, respectively. 3. Results and Discussions 3.1. Structure Characterization The morphology of the thin film was observed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM; JEOL JSM-7600F). The cross-sectional FE-SEM image of the CaF2 film on glass are clearly shown in Figure1a. The image showed the information about the ARC thickness, its uniformity and the interaction between the coating and substrate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were recorded in Appl. Sci. 2020, 10, 5647 3 of 9 a 2θ range of 20–70 degrees using an X-ray diffractometer (Bruker, D8 Advance, Turbo X-ray source Appl. Sci. 2020, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 9 18 KW). The typical XRD pattern for the CaF2 thin film on glass are presented in Figure1b. It shows that the CaF2 film is polycrystalline and has a strongest peak of 111, which is in good agreement with Figure 1b. It shows that the CaF2 film is polycrystalline and has a strongest peak of 111, which is in the Bannon and Coogan result [26]. The subsequent diffraction lines at 49.6 and 55.6 were identified as good agreement with the Bannon and Coogan result [26]. The subsequent diffraction lines at 49.6 and 220 and 311 reflexes of the CaF2 phase, respectively [27]. 55.6 were identified as 220 and 311 reflexes of the CaF2 phase, respectively [27]. (a) (b) Figure 1. (a) Cross sectional FE-SEM image of CaF thin film; (b) XRD pattern for the CaF film. Figure 1. (a) Cross sectional FE-SEM image of CaF2 2 thin film; (b) XRD pattern for the CaF2 2 film. 3.2. Optical Characterization 3.2. Optical Characterization The optical characteristics of the CaF2-CG were studied in the wavelength range of ~350 to The optical characteristics of the CaF2-CG were studied in the wavelength range of ~350 to 1100 1100 nm. By varying the thickness of the coating material, the optical properties of the thin film nm. By varying the thickness of the coating material, the optical properties of the thin film deposited deposited on the substrate can be changed [28]. The prototype of the Macleod simulation parameters on the substrate can be changed [28]. The prototype of the Macleod simulation parameters are shown are shown in the Supporting Document. in the Supporting Document. 3.2.1. Reflectance, Transmittance and Absorbance 3.2.1. Reflectance, Transmittance and Absorbance The transmittance and absorbance of the Un CG and CaF2-CG were measured using an ultraviolet-visibleThe transmittance spectrophotometer and absorbance (SCINCO of the S-3100).Un CG Theand reflectanceCaF2-CG were can bemeasured calculated using using an theultraviolet–visible relation: spectrophotometer (SCINCO S-3100).