Degradation of TIO₂ Antireflection Coatings: Thermal and Mechanical Stress Effects Over 35 Years
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fjorae.2025.0201.02Keywords:
Antireflection coating,, COMSOL Multiphysics,, Deformation gradient,, TitaniumAbstract
This study investigates the effects of 35 years of thermal and mechanical stress on titanium dioxide () antireflection coating, as well as the /GaAs interface. The analysis was conducted using the COMSOL Multiphysics environment, employing heat transfer in solids and structural mechanics models to evaluate key parameters under the temperature range of -40 to 140 and load of 10N, including the first principal stress, surface emissivity, /GaAs interface toughness, deformation gradient, and crack growth direction. The findings reveal that during the first five years under the specified thermal and mechanical boundary conditions such as surface-to-ambient radiation, fracture mechanic, convective heat transfer etc, the first principal stress at the coating surface and interface decreased to 0.07MPa and 0.08MPa, respectively, while the deformation gradient exhibited negligible changes. However, between 5 and 20 years, a sharp increase in stress was observed, with values rising to 0.14MPa at the surface and 0.19MPa at the interface. The significant deformation gradient resulted in a reduction of surface emissivity from 0.9 to 0.3 and a decline in interface toughness from 0.25MPa to 0.01MPa. A crack growth direction magnitude of 0.83% was detected, particularly at both the coating edges and interface. Between 20 and 35 years, both the stress and deformation gradient increased gradually, gesturing that the coating could no longer withstand additional stress at this stage. These results provide valuable insights into failure mode analysis during the practical stress testing of photovoltaic modules, aiding in the assessment of long-term performance and reliability.
This study investigates the effects of 35 years of thermal and mechanical stress on titanium dioxide () antireflection coating, as well as the /GaAs interface. The analysis was conducted using the COMSOL Multiphysics environment, employing heat transfer in solids and structural mechanics models to evaluate key parameters under the temperature range of -40 to 140 and load of 10N, including the first principal stress, surface emissivity, /GaAs interface toughness, deformation gradient, and crack growth direction. The findings reveal that during the first five years under the specified thermal and mechanical boundary conditions such as surface-to-ambient radiation, fracture mechanic, convective heat transfer etc, the first principal stress at the coating surface and interface decreased to 0.07MPa and 0.08MPa, respectively, while the deformation gradient exhibited negligible changes. However, between 5 and 20 years, a sharp increase in stress was observed, with values rising to 0.14MPa at the surface and 0.19MPa at the interface. The significant deformation gradient resulted in a reduction of surface emissivity from 0.9 to 0.3 and a decline in interface toughness from 0.25MPa to 0.01MPa. A crack growth direction magnitude of 0.83% was detected, particularly at both the coating edges and interface. Between 20 and 35 years, both the stress and deformation gradient increased gradually, gesturing that the coating could no longer withstand additional stress at this stage. These results provide valuable insights into failure mode analysis during the practical stress testing of photovoltaic modules, aiding in the assessment of long-term performance and reliability.
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