Mathematical Approach to Photonic Analysis of Ag-Doped HfO₂ for Antireflective and Intermediate Reflective Applications in Planar a-Si Solar Cells

Mathematical Approach to Photonic Analysis of Ag-Doped HfO₂ for Antireflective and Intermediate Reflective Applications in Planar a-Si Solar Cells | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Mathematical Approach to Photonic Analysis of Ag-Doped HfO₂ for Antireflective and Intermediate Reflective Applications in Planar a-Si Solar Cells P. Uthayakumar, K. Kathiresan, M. Ismail Fathima, S. K. Logesh This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7391705/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 24 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Journal of Computational Electronics → Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This work presents a novel dual-function optical layer composed of silver-doped hafnium dioxide (Ag:HfO₂), engineered to serve simultaneously as an antireflective coating (ARC) and an intermediate reflective layer (IRL) in planar amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cells. Scilab-based simulations employing the Transfer Matrix Method (TMM) are utilized to analyze the optical behavior of the Ag:HfO₂ layer, allowing for precise modeling of light propagation and interference within multilayer structures. The incorporation of silver into HfO₂ modifies its permittivity through free carrier effects governed by the Drude model, enabling epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) conditions and negative permittivity regimes. These optical characteristics enhance light trapping and absorption by providing efficient antireflection at the front surface and improved internal reflection at the rear interface.The suggested method significantly improves optical performance, including enhanced absorption and internal quantum efficiency (IQE), without the need of complicated nanostructures. This material-engineered, planar technique provides a scalable and fabrication-compatible approach to improving the efficiency of next-generation thin-film solar cells Optical modelling Drude model Transfer Matrix Method Antireflective coating Intermediate reflective layer Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 24 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Journal of Computational Electronics → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 20 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 10 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 31 Aug, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 29 Aug, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 18 Aug, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 18 Aug, 2025 First submitted to journal 17 Aug, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7391705","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":509866479,"identity":"7c426635-4d41-445e-a3dd-572fdabeca2c","order_by":0,"name":"P. 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