Surface texturization of silicon wafers: A comparative experimental investigation for bulk, industrial application

The first objective of this study is to identify and compare the texturization aspect, and choose the most suitable recipe for as-produced Si(111) in our laboratory and Czochralski (Cz) Si(100) mono-crystalline wafers for industrial application. Another objective is to explore the possibility of combining texturization and anti-reflection coating steps in one-step. It was found that catalytic gold nano-particles in presence of HF-H₂O₂ at very low dilution can become an active recipe for surface nano-texturization for all types of silicon wafers, mainly Si(111) for industrial application. At very low dilution, a minimum reflectance level of 3.7% has been observed in Si(111), and a weighted reflectance level of 7.4% in the entire spectrum range of 300-1200 nm. While for Si(100) at the same dilution, a minimum and a weighted average reflectance levels of 5 and 10% can be reached in one-step. This is probably due to the formation of porous, surface nano-structures. A minimum of 0.25% of silicon loss is recorded during nano-texturization of silicon surface. A cost comparison between the alkaline texturization and the metal-assisted nano-texturization is also presented.