Nanoimprint lithography for photovoltaic applications

Nanoimprint lithog. has recently attracted considerable interest as a low-cost and high-throughput tool for nanofabrication in photovoltaic cell processing. While nanoimprint lithog. offers a cheap and simple alternative to conventional lithog. techniques on the one hand, it can also be used for large-scale roll-to-roll processes. These aspects enable the technique to be applied in solar cell processing steps. Nanostructured antireflection layers on the substrate or wafer outside can be produced with photocurable polymers. Acting as etch masks layers patterned by nanoimprint lithog. Can be used to generate a large variety of three-dimensional surface reliefs. By patterning the inside of thin-film solar cellsubstrates light-trapping effects can be generated. Light-trapping can also be achieved by the prepn. of plasmonically active metal layers. After an introduction of the nanoimprint lithog. technique, different applications in solar cell manufg. are presented in this chapter.