Method to evaluate effectiveness of substrate cleanness and quantity of pin holes in an antireflective coating of a solar cell

摘要

A method to determine the cleanness of a semiconductor substrate and the quantity/density of pin holes that may exist within a patterned antireflective coating (ARC) is provided. Electroplating is employed to monitor the changes in the porosity of the ARC caused by the pin holes during solar cell manufacturing. In particular, electroplating a metal or metal alloy to form a metallic grid on an exposed front side surface of a substrate also fills the pin holes. The quantity/density of metallic filled pin holes (and hence the number of pin holes) in the patterned ARC can then be determined.