Enhancing power conversion efficiency of polycrystalline silicon solar cells through ZnO/SiO2/Al2O3 anti-reflective coatings via spin coating

The investigation aims to enhance the photocurrent generation of p-Si solar cells through the application of anti-reflective coatings (ARC) including ZnO, SiO2, Al2O3, and a combination of ZnO, SiO2, and Al2O3. The spin coating approach was preferred for depositing anti-reflective coating materials as clear thin films on the substrate of the p-Si cells. The absorbance, reflectance, I-V, morphology, and temperature behaviour of the ARCs onp-Si cells were examined to ascertain the impact of the ARCs. Among several coating materials, the blended ZnO+SiO2+Al2O3on p-Si cells achieved a highest conversion efficiency of 20.71% under controlled setup condition, with anelectrical resistance of5.83×10-3 Ω cm. The examination of the optical characteristics demonstrated a highestabsorbance of 92% and a lowest reflection loss of 10%, attained by the ZnO+SiO2+Al2O3sample within UV band. The ZnO+SiO2+Al2O3 blend exhibited significant enhancement in thermal behaviour, achieving a lowest temperature of 49.9 °C in controlled source settings. Analyses demonstrated that the composite ZnO+SiO2+Al2O3 is a suitable blendwithanideal anti-reflectiveproperties to improve the efficiency of p-Si solar panels.