Method for Monitoring and Determining the Properties of Light-Scattering Surface Textures and for Regulating the Production Process of Light-Scattering Surface Textures.

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This patent describes a method for monitoring, evaluating, and controlling the properties of light-scattering surface textures—such as those found on materials used in solar cells—using angle-resolved scattered light (ARS) measurements. The core process involves measuring how a surface scatters light at various angles, selecting one or more quantitative parameters from these measurements, comparing them with a target or reference value, and adjusting the production process (e.g., temperature, deposition conditions, etching parameters) to bring the real surface properties closer to the desired specifications. This feedback loop is repeated to finely tune the surface texture, ensuring optimal performance for its intended application.

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• Quality control and optimization of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layers in thin-film silicon solar cells to maximize light absorption and energy conversion efficiency.
• Manufacturing of high-performance photovoltaic devices that require precisely engineered light-scattering surface textures.
• Production control and quality assurance for antireflective or light-diffusing coatings in displays or lighting applications.
• Process monitoring and adjustment during deposition or etching of functional optical surfaces in semiconductor or optics industries.
• Real-time or near real-time adjustment of industrial coating or etching processes to achieve uniform and reproducible textured surfaces.

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• Enables precise, quantitative, and reproducible control of light-scattering surface textures, which are critical for high-efficiency photovoltaic devices.
• Provides a fast and cost-effective alternative to labor-intensive surface characterization methods such as atomic force microscopy.
• Allows for process optimization and automatic feedback control, reducing waste and rejected batches in production.
• Directly correlates measurable optical parameters to process conditions, making manufacturing more predictable and robust.
• Applicable to a range of materials and production methods, improving quality and performance in multiple high-tech industries.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for monitoring and determining the properties of light-scattering surface textures and for regulating the production process of light-scattering surface textures using angle-resolved scattered light (ARS) measurements, comprising the following method steps: a) at least one parameter is selected from angle-resolved scattered light (ARS) measured values, which is calculated from at least one measured value associated with a scattering angle range and/or from the entire ARS wave shape, b) a desired value is established for the selected parameter, c) at least one condition of the production process of the surface texture is correlated with the previously selected parameter, d) a light-scattering surface texture (Oi) is produced, e) an angle-resolved scattered light (ARS) measurement of said surface texture (Oi) is carried out, f) the production process is regulated by modifying at least one condition of the subsequent production process for the surface texture (O k , with k>i), g) steps d) - e) are repeated for surface textures (O k , with k>i) and the regulation according to step f) is continued until the variation of the actual value of the selected parameter determined by means of ARS measurement from the desired value is