Solar cells are given antireflection coatings to maximize their efficiency. Consider a silicon solar cell (n=3.50n&nbsp;=&nbsp;3.50) coated with a layer of silicon dioxide (n=1.45n&nbsp;=&nbsp;1.45).&nbsp;What is the minimum coating thickness (but not zero) that will minimize the reflection at the wavelength of 704 nm&nbsp;nm&nbsp;where solar cells are most efficient?

Question

Solar cells are given antireflection coatings to maximize their efficiency. Consider a silicon solar cell (n=3.50n&amp;nbsp;=&amp;nbsp;3.50) coated with a layer of silicon dioxide (n=1.45n&amp;nbsp;=&amp;nbsp;1.45).&amp;nbsp;What is the minimum coating thickness (but not zero) that will minimize the reflection at the wavelength of 704 nm&amp;nbsp;nm&amp;nbsp;where solar cells are most efficient?

madeleinejames20 · Accepted Answer

To determine the minimum coating thickness that will minimize reflection at a specific wavelength, we can use the concept of thin-film interference.The condition for constructive interference (minimum reflection) is given by the equation:2nt=mλwhere:- n is the refractive index of the coating material- t is the thickness of the coating- m is an integer representing the order of interference (1, 2, 3, ...)- λ is the wavelength of lightIn this case, we are given:- nsilicon=3.50 (refractive index of silicon solar cell)- noxide=1.45 (refractive index of silicon dioxide coating)- λ=704nm=704×10−9mWe want to find the minimum coating thickness, so we consider the case of m=1 (first-order interference).Using the equation for constructive interference, we can rearrange it to solve for the coating thickness t:t=mλ2nSubstituting the given values:t=1×(704×10−9m)2×1.45t≈242.76×10−9mTherefore, the minimum coating thickness that will minimize reflection at the wavelength of 704 nm is approximately 242.76nm.

Solar cells are given antireflection coatings to maximize

Answered question

Answer & Explanation

New Questions in Physics