Translucent Support for a Semiconductive Thin Film Structure, and Method for Producing and Using the Translucent Support

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This patent describes a translucent support structure (substrate) with a specifically engineered light-trapping nanostructure, called SMART (Smooth Anti-Reflective Three-dimensional) texture, for semiconductor thin-film devices such as solar cells. The structure combines a homogeneous, periodic nanostructure of silicon oxide with smooth anti-reflective layers of titanium oxide or tin oxide, resulting in both excellent optical (light absorption and trapping) and electrical properties. The support is thermally stable for high-temperature processes like liquid-phase crystallization, enabling high-quality thin-film semiconductor manufacturing. It can be produced efficiently on a large scale using nanoimprint and spin-coating techniques.

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• Thin-film solar cell manufacturing, especially for devices requiring high absorption and efficiency (e.g., photovoltaic modules)
• Fabrication of other optoelectronic devices needing high-quality transparent substrates with minimal reflection (e.g., photodetectors, light sensors)
• High-temperature thin-film crystallization processes where substrate smoothness and thermal stability are required
• Large-area, cost-effective production of advanced thin-film electronic or optical devices

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Improved light absorption and trapping in semiconductor thin-films, leading to increased device efficiency (such as higher solar cell output)
• Combines the best properties of flat and rough light-trapping structures, optimizing both electrical quality and optical performance
• Reduced reflection losses and higher quantum efficiency in solar cells
• Enables use of high-temperature crystallization processes due to superior thermal stability of materials and structure
• Suitable for mass production due to simple, scalable fabrication methods (nanoimprint lithography, spin-coating, CVD)
• Predictable and reproducible performance thanks to periodic and homogeneous nanostructuring, unlike random or inhomogeneous structures
• Minimizes manufacturing defects in thin-films (e.g., cracks, dislocations) by smoothing out surface features

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Patent Abstract

Special light-trapping structures for increasing absorption are required for light-absorbing semiconductor thin films. Flat light-trapping structures only have good electric properties, and rough light-trapping structures only have good optical properties. The support (01) according to the invention has a light-trapping structure (02) which is smooth ("SMART" (SMooth Anti-Reflective Three-dimensional) texture). Additionally, the structured three-dimensional layer (09) is designed with a homogenous and periodic nanostructure (07) and is filled and covered at least with a first anti-reflective layer (10). In this manner, the height of the nanostructure (07) of the structured layer (09) is reduced by at least 30%. The surface angles of the light-trapping structure (02) relative to the superstrate (03) are not greater than 60°. The light-trapping structure (02) of the support (01) according to the invention has both very good optical properties as well as very good electric properties. On the basis of the selected materials, a temperature stability of the support (01) is provided for a liquid-phase crystallization. In a simple and large-scale production method, a nanostructure (07) produced using a nanoimprint process is first smoothed with the anti-reflective layer (10) by means of a spin coating method. In a preferred use, the subsequent thin film structure (14) can be processed by means of a liquid-phase crystallization process.