Textured silicon nitride

Figure 11.17 Scanning electron microscopy Image of a polished and plasma-etched surface of a textured silicon nitride sample with rodlike 3-Si3N4 grains aligned by a...

Antireflection coatings are used over the silicon surface which, without the coating, reflects ca 35% of incident sunlight. A typical coating consists of a single layer of a transparent dielectric material with a refractive index of ca 2, which is between the index of siUcon and ait or cover material. Materials such as titanium dioxide, tantalum pentoxide, Ta20, or siUcon nitride, Si N, ca 0.08-p.m thick are common. The coating and a physically textured... 

---