Optical behavior of textured silicon

Abstract

The optical behavior of polycrystalline SILSO silicon wafers with a mechanically V-grooved surface has been studied between 300 and 1500 nm. The texturization was carried out by a conventional dicing saw using beveled blades. For a 35°V-grooved surface and a nonmetallized backside the optical path length in the weakly absorbing part of the spectrum (1100-1200 nm) was found to be enhanced by a factor of 33 as compared to a nongrooved wafer. The enhanced reflectance in the nonabsorbing spectral region for the former is analyzed and explained. The different loss contributions due to a nonideal grooved structure are discussed.