Low-temperature self-catalytic growth of tin oxide nanocones over large areas

Nanoscale texturing has been studied for various applications, but most of the methods used to make these nanostructures are expensive and not easily scalable. Some of these methods require etching steps or high-temperature processes, which limit the processes to certain materials, such as silicon. In this study, we report a non-etching nanoscale texturing technique that allows for controlled oxidation to create tin oxide nanocones over large areas. Similar results are obtained on different substrates, such as silicon, aluminum foil, quartz, and polyimide film, and this method can be employed at temperatures as low as 220 °C in ambient pressure. This simple and scalable nanotexturing process improves the anti-reflection effect in photovoltaic devices. The light absorption of a polycrystalline silicon substrate, a widely used photovoltaic material, is increased by 30% over the wavelength range of 400-850 nm after fabricating nanocones on the surface.