Porous silicon layer patterned from anodic aluminum oxide and application in ZnPc hybrid solar cell

We presented a hybrid solar cell with a zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc)/gold nanoparticles (GNPs)/ultrathin silicon dioxide (UT-SiO₂) /porous silicon (PS) structure. The PS structure was prepared using anodic aluminum oxide. The process was optimized, and the structure was employed as a mask to produce another porous structure at the surface of a silicon substrate by plasma etching. Subsequently, the silicon substrate with the porous structure was immersed in a solution of GNPs for 24 h to deposit GNPs onto the UT-SiO ₂ layer, and a ZnPc film was finally formed by spin coating on the silicon substrate with the porous structure.