A novel method to produce black silicon for solar cells

► A novel method to produce black silicon by plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). ► The black silicon has a low optical reflectance. ► The formation mechanism of the needle-like structure produced by PIII process has been studied. In the present study, the black silicon has been successfully produced by plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). The microstructure and the reflectance of the black silicon have been investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope and spectrophotometer, respectively. Results show that the black silicon exhibits a needle-like structure with the average reflectance of 1.79%. The solar cell based on black silicon yields an efficiency of 15.68% with a fill factor (FF) of 0.783.