Precision-engineered surface can enhance silicon solar cell performance

Converting sunlight into electricity is the task of photovoltaic solar cells, but nearly half the light that reaches a flat silicon solar cell surface is lost to reflection. While traditional antireflective coatings help, they only work within a narrow range of light frequency and incidence angles. A new study may have overcome this limit.

As reported in Advanced Photonics Nexus, researchers have proposed a new type of antireflective coating using a single, ultrathin layer of polycrystalline silicon nanostructures (a.k.a. a metasurface). Achieving minimal reflection across certain wavelengths and angles, the metasurface was reportedly developed by combining forward and inverse design techniques, enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI).

The result is a coating that sharply reduces sunlight reflection across a wide range of wavelengths and angles, setting a new benchmark for performance with minimal material complexity.

The coating works across the visible and near-infrared spectrum (500 to 1200 nanometers) and is effective even when the sunlight hits at steep angles. It reflects as little as 2% of incoming light at direct angles and about 4.4% at oblique angles—unprecedented results for a single-layer design.

This breakthrough shows that an intelligently designed nanostructural layer can boost the efficiency of mainstream solar panels. Because it is both high-performing and relatively simple, it could lead to more efficient solar panels, potentially speeding up the transition to clean energy.

Beyond solar energy, the approach also advances how scientists design metasurfaces for optics and photonics. It opens the door to multifunctional photonic coatings that could benefit not just solar power but also sensors and other optical devices.