Efficient Broadband Light-Trapping Structures on Thin-Film Silicon Fabricated by Laser, Chemical and Hybrid Chemical/Laser Treatments.

Light-trapping structures formed on surfaces of various materials have attracted much attention in recent years due to their important role in many applications of science and technology. This article discusses various methods for manufacturing light-trapping "black" silicon, namely laser, chemical and hybrid chemical/laser ones. In addition to the widely explored laser texturing and chemical etching methods, we develop a hybrid chemical/laser texturing method, consisting in laser post-texturing of pyramidal structures obtained after chemical etching.

Synthesis of Nanoparticles and Theoretical Model of Their Retention in Plasma of RF Capacitive Discharge with Vertically Arranged Electrodes in Acetylene.

In the present research, experiments on the formation and retention of nanoparticles (NPs) in the plasma of radio frequency (RF) capacitive discharge in acetylene were carried out with vertically positioned internal electrodes. It has been shown via SEM and TEM techniques that NPs found on the horizontal tube wall after the discharge operation have a spherical shape with a predominant diameter of approximately 400-600 nm. HRTEM analysis reveals their amorphous structure.