Texturization of monocrystalline silicon with tribasic sodium phosphate

Tribasic sodium phosphate (Na3PO4·12H2O) was successfully introduced to texture monocrystalline silicon for the first time. A series of comparative experiments were made to indicate the dependence of hemispherical surface reflectance on the tribasic sodium phosphate (Na3PO4·12H2O) concentration, reaction temperature and etching time. Meanwhile, the effects of other agents, such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and bi-sodium hydrogen phosphate (Na2HPO4) on average reflectance were also investigated. The results showed that IPA and NaOH have great detrimental effects on texture, and the average reflectance slightly increased with the addition of Na2HPO4. On the basis of our experiments, it is concluded that the effect of phosphatidate (PO43−) or its compounds on the texturization is the same as that of the mixture of alkaline and IPA. Furthermore, this method is economical, has low pollution and good reproducibility. We feel that it is suitable for the large-scale production.