Surface Texturing of n- and p-Doped c-Si Using a Novel Plasma Chemical Texturing Process

n- and p-doped c-Si (100) are textured by a SF6/O2 plasma chemical etching, under conditions avoiding ion bombardment. The study of the effects of plasma parameters on morphology and on surface reflectance of textured c-Si reveals a strong impact of silicon doping on texturing characteristics. SF6/O2 plasma etches anisotropically n-type c-Si creating a square-based hillock-like morphology with a surface reflectivity of 6%. Conversely, for p-type Si, a H2 plasma pretreatment is necessary to activate silicon etching and obtain a nano-textured surface with a reflectivity of 16%.