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ARTICLE

Advanced chalcogenide Ga_₂S₃ coatings for reducing reflective loss and boosting efficiency in silicon photovoltaics

R. M. Reddy^a, J. A. Prakash^b, A. Tonk^c, S. Karvendhan^d, G. Sivaraman^e, D. K. Patel^f, S. P. Dillibabu^g, S. Karthikeyan^h,*, T. Thirugnanasambandhamⁱ

a Department of Mechanical Engineering, G.Pulla Reddy Engineering College, Kurnool, Andhrapradesh
b Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Nehru Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
c Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering, The NorthCap University, Gurugram
d Department of Mechanical Engineering, Velalar College of Engineering and Technology, Erode
e Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sona College of Technology
f Department Mechanical Engineering, Sardar Patel College of Engineering
g Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Avadi, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600062
h Department of Mechanical Engineering, Erode Sengunthar Engineering College, Perundurai, 638057, India
i Department of Mechanical Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai 602105, Tamil Nadu

* Corresponding Author:

Chalcogenide Letters 2025, 22(9), 797-806. https://doi.org/10.15251/CL.2025.229.797

Received 25 June 2025; Accepted 15 September 2025;

Abstract

The current situation necessitates advancements in renewable energy as an alternative for conventional energy sources. Reflection loss in solar cells is a contributing factor to diminish the power conversion efficiency, which can be reduced by employing antireflective coatings. The current investigation focuses on improvement in photocurrent generation of monocrystalline silicon solar cells by employing Gallium sulfide (Ga_₂S₃) as anti-reflective coatings (ARC). The RF sputter coating method has been used for Ga_₂S₃ deposition at different coating durations (10, 20, 30, and 40 minutes). The transmittance, reflectance, I-V characteristics, electrical properties, and thermal behaviour of the Ga2S3 coatings on m-Si cells were analysed to determine the influence of the coatings. The incorporation of Ga2S3 led to enhanced power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) from the 16.38% to 21.80% under open conditions and from 18.58% to 24.33% under closed conditions. The Ga_₂S₃ coating thickness for the GS3 sample was measured at 1.440 µm using FESEM. The minimum optical reflectance of 6.56% and maximum transmittance of 93.44% were achieved after 30 minutes of coating (GS3) within the 300 to 1200 nm wavelength range. The minimum electrical resistivity of a GS3 coated sample was measured as 5.33×10⁻³ Ω-cm. Ga_₂S₃ coatings serve to reduce reflected losses and improve surface passivation.

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