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Updated: Mar 16, 2026
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Published on: February 8, 2022
Metal assisted catalyzed etched (MACE) black Si: optics and device physics
Fatima Toor1, Jeffrey B Miller2, Lauren M Davidson3
1Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA and Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA and Optical Science and Technology Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA and University of Iowa Informatics Initiative, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA and Advanced Silicon Group, 173 Bedford Road, Lincoln, MA 01773, USA. fatima-toor@uiowa.edu marcie@advancedsilicongroup.com.
Abstract:
Metal-assisted catalyzed etching (MACE) of silicon (Si) is a controllable, room-temperature wet-chemical technique that uses a thin layer of metal to etch the surface of Si, leaving behind various nano- and micro-scale surface features, including nanowires (NWs), that can be tuned to achieve various useful engineering goals, in particular with respect to Si solar cells. In this review, we introduce the science and technology of MACE from the literature, and provide an in-depth analysis of MACE to enhance Si solar cells, including the outlook for commercial applications of this technology.
