Influence of laser power on POCl3 diffused back surface field on n-type PERT silicon solar cells with local back contact

We report n-type passivated emitter rear totally diffused (PERT) silicon solar cells with local back contacts (LBC) formed by laser process. With passivated back surface field (BSF), the PERT cell design shows an improved open circuit voltage (V_oc) with reduced recombination at the rear due to improved optical confinement. The rear side was diffused by POCl₃ diffusion with low sheet resistance (R_s) BSF and passivated using SiN_x. Laser ablation was used to open the SiN_x on the rear for LBC. The Nd:YAG laser power (mW) parameters and POCl₃ doping temperature were varied to obtain the BSF with lower sheet resistance. Laser power of 44 mW with 10 kHz resulted in 30 Ω/sq BSF layer with effective lifetime (τ_eff) of 90 μs and a higher V_oc of 646 mV. With the optimized laser parameters the best electrical results yielded a short circuit current density (J_sc) of 36 mA/cm² and efficiency of 18.54%.     

21.0%‐efficient co‐diffused screen printed n‐type silicon solar cell with rear‐side boron emitter

Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is applied to deposit boron silicate glasses (BSG) acting as boron diffusion source during the fabrication of n‐type silicon solar cells. We characterize the resulting boron‐diffused emitter after boron drive‐in from PECVD BSG by measuring the sheet resistances R_sheet,B and saturation current densities J_0,B. For process optimization, we vary the PECVD deposition parameters such as the gas flows of the precursor gases silane and diborane and the PECVD BSG layer thickness. We find an optimum gas flow ratio of SiH₄/B₂H₆= 8% and layer thickness of 40 nm. After boron drive in from these PECVD BSG diffusion sources, a low J_0,B values of 21 fA/cm² is reached for R_sheet,B = 70 Ω/□. The optimized PECVD BSG layers together with a co‐diffusion process are implemented into the fabrication process of passivated emitter and rear totally diffused (PERT) back junction (BJ) cells on n‐type silicon. An independently confirmed energy conversion efficiency of 21.0% is achieved on 15.6 × 15.6 cm² cell area with a simplified process flow. This is the highest efficiency reported for a co‐diffused n‐type PERT BJ cell using PECVD BSG as diffusion source. A loss analysis shows a small contribution of 0.13 mW/cm² of the boron diffusion to the recombination loss proving the high quality of this diffusion source. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Characteristics of silicon solar cell emitter with a reduced diffused phosphorus inactive layer

The diffusion of phosphorus using a phosphorous oxychloride (POCl₃) source in silicon has been used widely in crystalline silicon solar cells. The thermal diffusion process in the furnace consists of two steps: pre-deposition and drive-in. The phosphorous doping profile via thermal diffusion often exhibits high concentrations in the surface-near emitter, which result in a recombination increase. This layer, called the dead layer, should be inhibited in order to fabricate high efficiency silicon solar cells. In this paper, the amount of the POCl₃ flow rate was varied during the pre-deposition process in order to minimize the dead layer, and the characteristics of the phosphosilicate glass (PSG) and emitter were analyzed. From the secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and electrochemical capacitance–voltage profiler (ECV) measurements, the emitter formed using a POCl₃ flow rate of 1000 sccm contained the least amount of inactive dopant and resulted in reasonable performance in the silicon solar cell. As the POCl₃ flow rate increased, the doped silicon wafer included electrically inactive P near the surface, which functions as a defect degrading the electrical performance of the emitter. As a result of this, the removal of the dead layer containing the inactive P was attempted through dipping the doped wafer in a HF solution. After this process, the emitter saturation current density and implied V_oc were improved. The completed solar cells and their external quantum efficiencies at a short wavelength also demonstrated improved performance. A quantitative analysis of the emitter can provide a deeper understanding of methods to improve the electrical characteristics of the silicon solar cell.     

Optical and electrical properties of SnO2:Sb thin films deposited by oblique angle deposition

The antimony doped tin oxide (SnO₂:Sb) (ATO) thin films were prepared by oblique angle electron beam evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer and four-point probe resistor were employed to characterize the structure, morphology, optical and electrical properties. The results show that oblique angle deposition ATO thin films with tilted columns structure are anisotropic. The in-plane birefringence of optical anisotropy is up to 0.035 at α = 70°, which means that it is suitable as wave plate and polarizer. The electrical anisotropy of sheet resistance shows that the sheet resistance parallel to the deposition plane is larger than that perpendicular to the deposition plane and it can be changed from 900 Ω/□ to 3500 Ω/□ for deposition angle from 40° to 85°, which means that the sheet resistance can be effectively tuned by changing the deposition angle. Additionally, the sandwich structure of SiO₂ buffer layer plus normal ATO films and oblique angle deposition ATO films can reduce the resistance, which can balance the optical and electrical anisotropy. It is suggested that oblique angle deposition ATO thin films can be used as transparent conductive thin films in solar cell, anti-foggy windows and multifunctional carrier in liquid crystal display.     

Doped SiO x emitter layer in amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cell

In this work we propose to replace the emitter layer of the n-type doped a-Si:H/p-type doped crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cell, with an n-type doped SiO _x amorphous oxide layer. The n-type doped SiO _x :H shows a lower activation energy and higher carrier mobility value with respect to the n-type doped a-Si:H. Moreover, higher transmission, below 500 nm of wavelength, and higher conductivity are measured. The relevance of transparency of the (n) a-SiO _x :H has been studied using that film in solar cells. The electrical parameters revealed a solar cell efficiency of 15.8 %. Moreover, the effect of TCO as a front side cell electrode is considered and discussed on the base of its workfunction when applied on top of the n-type doped SiO _x emitter layer using also numerical simulations.     

Room-temperature and solution-processed vanadium oxide buffer layer for efficient charge injection in bottom-contact organic field-effect transistors

We introduce a room temperature and solution-processible vanadium oxide (VO_x) buffer layer beneath Au source/drain electrodes for bottom-contact (BC) organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). The OFETs with the VO_x buffer layer exhibited higher mobility and lower threshold voltages than the devices without a buffer layer. The hole mobility with VO_x was over 0.11 cm²/V with the BC geometry with a short channel length (10 μm), even without a surface treatment on SiO₂. The channel width normalized contact resistance was decreased from 98 kΩ cm to 23 kΩ cm with VO_x. The improved mobility and the reduced contact resistance were attributed to the enhanced continuity of pentacene grains, and the increased work function and adhesion of the Au electrodes using the VO_x buffer layer.     

Electrical and optical characterization of SiOxNy and SiO2 dielectric layers and rear surface passivation by using SiO2/SiOxNy stack layers with screen printed local Al-BSF for c-Si solar cells

In c-Si solar cells, surface recombination velocity increases as the wafer thickness decreases due to an increase in surface to volume ratio. For high efficiency, in addition to low surface recombination velocity at the rear side, a high internal reflection from the rear surface is also required. The SiO_xN_y film with low absorbance can act as rear surface reflector. In this study, industrially feasible SiO₂/SiO_xN_y stack for rear surface passivation and screen printed local aluminium back surface field were used in the cell structure. A 3 nm thick oxide layer has resulted in low fixed oxide charge density of 1.58 × 10¹¹ cm⁻² without parasitic shunting. The oxide layer capped with SiO_xN_y layer led to surface recombination velocity of 155 cm/s after firing. Using single layer (SiO₂) rear passivation, an efficiency of 18.13% has been obtained with V_oc of 625 mV, J_sc of 36.4 mA/cm² and fill factor of 78.7%. By using double layer (SiO₂/SiO_xN_y stack) passivation at the rear side, an efficiency of 18.59% has been achieved with V_oc of 632 mV, J_sc of 37.6 mA/cm², and fill factor of 78.3%. An improved cell performance was obtained with SiO₂/SiO_xN_y rear stack passivation and local BSF.     

Defect removal after low temperature annealing of boron implantations by emitter etch‐back for silicon solar cells

Ion implantation offers new possibilities for silicon solar cell production, e.g. single side doping that can be structured in‐situ with shadow masks. While phosphorus implantations can easily be annealed at low temperature, the annealing of boron implantations is challenging. In this study, we use low energy implantations of boron (1 keV and 5 keV) with a projected range of 5.6 nm and 21.2 nm that form defects causing charge carrier recombination after a low temperature anneal (950 °C, 30 min). An ozone‐based wet chemical etching step is applied to remove this near surface damage. With increasing chemical etch‐back the electrical quality (i.e. emitter saturation current density, J_0e) improves continuously. The calculated limit for J_0e was reached with an abrasion of 35 nm for 1 keV and 85 nm for 5 keV implantations, showing that the relevant defects causing charge carrier recombination are located very close to the surface, corresponding to the as‐implanted profile depth. This emitter etch‐back allows for the fabrication of defect free boron doping profiles with good sheet resistance uniformity (standard deviation <2%). With the resulting characteristics (sheet resistance <100 Ω/sq, surface doping concentration >5 × 10¹⁹ cm^–3, J_0e < 30 fA/cm²), these boron profiles are well suited for silicon solar cells. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Surface passivation schemes for high‐efficiency n‐type Si solar cells

An effective passivation on the front side boron emitter is essential to utilize the full potential of solar cells fabricated on n‐type silicon. However, recent investigations have shown that it is more difficult to achieve a low surface recombination velocity on highly doped p‐type silicon than on n‐type silicon. Thus, the approach presented in this paper is to overcompensate the surface of the deep boron emitter locally by a shallow phosphorus diffusion. This inversion from p‐type to n‐type surface allows the use of standard technologies which are used for passivation of highly doped n‐type surfaces. Emitter saturation current densities (J_0e) of 49 fA/cm² have been reached with this approach on SiO₂ passivated lifetime samples. On solar cells a certified conversion efficiency of 21.7% with an open‐circuit voltage (V_oc) of 676 mV was achieved. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Silicon nitride/silicon oxide interlayers for solar cell passivating contacts based on PECVD amorphous silicon

This Letter demonstrates improved passivating contacts for silicon solar cells consisting of doped silicon films together with tunnelling dielectric layers. An improvement is demonstrated by replacing the commonly used silicon oxide interfacial layer with a silicon nitride/silicon oxide double interfacial layer. The paper describes the optimization of such contacts, including doping of a PECVD intrinsic a‐Si:H film by means of a thermal POCl₃ diffusion process and an exploration of the effect of the refractive index of the SiN_x. The n⁺ silicon passivating contact with SiN_x /SiO_x double layer achieves a better result than a single SiN_x or SiO_x layer, giving a recombination current parameter of ～7 fA/cm² and a contact resistivity of ～0.005 Ω cm², respectively. These self‐passivating electron‐selective contacts open the way to high efficiency silicon solar cells. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effect of cross-linkable polymer on the morphology and properties of transparent multi-walled carbon nanotube conductive films

In this study, we fabricated optically transparent and electrically conductive multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) thin films using a spray-coating technique. The transparency and the electrical resistance of thin film are dependent on the nanotube content deposited on the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) were used as adhesion promoters to improve MWCNT coating more significantly. The cross-linked polymer resulted in a superior bond between the MWCNTs and the substrates. The surface electrical resistance was significantly lower than the original sheet after nitric acid (HNO₃) treatment because of the removed surfactant and the increased interconnecting networks of MWCNT bundles, thus improving the electrical and optical properties of the films. Stronger interaction between the MWCNTs and the substrates resulted in lower decomposition of the polymer chain and less amounts of MWCNTs separated into the HNO₃ solution. The lower sheet electrical resistance of PVP/PAA-g-MWCNT conductive films on the PET substrate was because of a more complete conductive path with the cross-linked polymer than that without. Such an improved sheet of electrical resistance varied from 8.83 × 10⁴ Ω/□ to 2.65 × 10³ Ω/□ with 5.0 wt.% PVP/PAA-g-MWCNT sprayed on the PET after acid treatment.     

SiOx interlayer to enhance the performance of InGaZnO-TFT with AlOx gate insulator

We have fabricated indium–gallium–zinc (IGZO) thin film transistor (TFT) using SiO_x interlayer modified aluminum oxide (AlO_x) film as the gate insulator and investigated their electrical characteristics and bias voltage stress. Compared with IGZO-TFT with AlO_x insulator, IGZO-TFT with AlO_x/SiO_x insulator shows superior performance and better bias stability. The saturation mobility increases from 5.6 cm²/V s to 7.8 cm²/V s, the threshold voltage downshifts from 9.5 V to 3.3 V, and the contact resistance reduces from 132 Ωcm to 91 Ωcm. The performance improvement is attributed to the following reasons: (1) the introduction of SiO_x interlayer improves the insulator surface properties and leads to the high quality IGZO film and low trap density of IGZO/insulator interface. (2) The better interface between the channel and S/D electrodes is favorable to reduce the contact resistance of IGZO-TFT.     

Efficient interdigitated back‐contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells

We present back‐contacted amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells (IBC‐SHJ) on n‐type substrates with fill factors exceeding 78% and high current densities, the latter enabled by a SiN_x /SiO₂ passivated phosphorus‐diffused front surface field. V_oc calculations based on carrier lifetime data of reference samples indicate that for the IBC architecture and the given amorphous silicon layer qualities an emitter buffer layer is crucial to reach a high V_oc, as known for both‐side contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells. A back surface field buffer layer has a minor influence. We observe a boost in solar cell V_oc of 40 mV and a simultaneous fill factor reduction introducing the buffer layer. The aperture‐area efficiency increases from 19.8 ± 0.4% to 20.2 ± 0.4%. Both, efficiencies and fill factors constitute a significant improvement over previously reported values. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Crystalline silicon solar cells with high resistivity emitter

The paper presents a part of research targeted at the modification of crystalline silicon solar cell production using screen-printing technology. The proposed process is based on diffusion from POCl₃ resulting in emitter with a sheet resistance on the level of 70 Ω/□ and then, shaped by high temperature passivation treatment. The study was focused on a shallow emitter of high resistivity and on its influence on output electrical parameters of a solar cell. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) has been employed for appropriate distinguishing the total donor doped profile. The solar cell parameters were characterized by current-voltage characteristics and spectral response (SR) methods. Some aspects playing a role in suitable manufacturing process were discussed. The situation in a photovoltaic industry with emphasis on silicon supply and current prices of solar cells, modules and photovoltaic (PV) systems are described. The economic and quantitative estimation of the PV world market is shortly discussed.     

X-ray topography study of monocrystalline silicon wafers diffused with phosphorus by different methods

To reduce the cost of the emitter diffusion process, there has been increasing interest to substitute the standard process of batch POCl₃ emitter diffusion used in the silicon solar-cell manufacturing industry with in-line diffusion processes such as the spray-on and screen-printing process. For this reason, it is essential to study and compare the processes of different diffusion methods from the point of view of the crystalline quality of the final wafers. X-ray transmission topography was employed to characterize the possible precipitates and other microdefects generated in Czochralski-grown silicon (Cz Si) during the emitter diffusion process carried out by screen-printing, spray-on and the standard process, in which the emitter was provided by a liquid (POCl₃) source. The results indicate that the phosphorus diffusion process influences the crystalline quality of the wafers and the efficiency of the external gettering process that takes place during phosphorus diffusion depends on the diffusion method employed.     

Direct laser printing for high efficiency silicon solar cells fabrication

Silicon solar cells still require cost reduction and improved efficiency to become more competitive. New architectures can provide a significant increase in efficiency, but today most of the approaches need additional fabrication steps. In this context, laser processing offers a unique way to replace technological steps like photolithography that is not compatible with the requirements of the photovoltaic industry. In particular laser induced thermal effects can be used to activate or re-organise dopants at the silicon surface to design new emitter geometries. In this paper dopant diffusion using a nanosecond UV laser on phosphorous-doped silicon emitters is studied. The presence of a phosphosilicate glass underneath a silicon nitride layer leads to a local decrease of the emitter sheet resistance from 100 Ω/sq to 20 Ω/sq. Laser induced damage, phosphorus diffusion profile and electrical shunt are assessed in the perspective of selective emitter silicon solar cells fabrication compatible with electrochemical metal contacts deposition.     

Effective hydrogenation and surface damage induced by MW-ECR plasma of fine-grained polycrystalline silicon

This work reports the investigations on the effects of the hydrogenation process of thin film polycrystalline n⁺pp⁺ mesa silicon cells using MW-ECR plasma in a conventional PECVD system. Different operating parameters such as MW-ECR power, annealing temperature and the doping level of the emitter region were varied. The n⁺-type emitter regions were obtained by phosphorus diffusion in a conventional furnace using an oxide doping source containing phosphorus (P507 or P509 solutions, from Filmtronics Inc.). The MW hydrogenation was carried out at a sample temperature of 400°C for 60 min. Both types of emitters formed from P507 and P509 showed V _oc of 155 mV and 206 mV, which increased linearly to 305 mV and 331 mV, respectively, after hydrogenation when the MW power varied from 200 to 650 W. However, the sheet resistances of the n⁺ emitter region showed a slight increase depending upon hydrogenation power because of its etching. In a further study, hydrogenated samples were annealed in neutral or forming gas (FG) and we observed interesting results on V _oc in the presence of FG. The FG annealing temperature study revealed a strong dependence of V _oc on MW power, which affected the etching level of emitter and emitter dopant concentration, which controls the diffusion of hydrogen ions during post-hydrogenation step. The results were explained in detail by combining the effects of MW power and dopant level of the emitter.     

Electronic-beam evaporation processed titanium oxide as an electron selective contact for silicon solar cells

This work is dedicated to the study of electronic-beam (e-beam) evaporated titanium oxide (TiO_x) contact for polycrystalline silicon hetero-junction solar cells. A TiO_x material obtained by e-beam evaporation method is suggested as a possible alternative to the atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. The purpose is to achieve corresponding passivation efficiency between e-beam evaporation of TiOx and the ALD method. However, the TiOx in question achieved a relatively low passivation performance of S_eff = 113 cm⁻¹ in comparison to the reported ALD results. Nonetheless, as e-beam evaporation is well-established and an environmentally friendly deposition technology, e-beam evaporated TiO_x passivation layer has potential for improvement. What is clearly demonstrated in our work is how such an improvement in contact resistance dropped from >55 Ω/cm² to 2.29 Ω/cm². Indeed, our study established a correlation between the main process parameters of e-beam evaporation and their influence on the quality of electron selective TiO_x layer. Moreover, we reveal a possible scenario for the implementation of e-beam evaporated Titanium oxide as electron selective contact for asymmetrical hetero-junction solar cells.     

Ion implantation into amorphous Si layers to form carrier‐selective contacts for Si solar cells

This paper reports our findings on the boron and phosphorus doping of very thin amorphous silicon layers by low energy ion implantation. These doped layers are implemented into a so‐called tunnel oxide passivated contact structure for Si solar cells. They act as carrier‐selective contacts and, thereby, lead to a significant reduction of the cell's recombination current. In this paper we address the influence of ion energy and ion dose in conjunction with the obligatory high‐temperature anneal needed for the realization of the passivation quality of the carrier‐selective contacts. The good results on the phosphorus‐doped (implied V_oc = 725 mV) and boron‐doped passivated contacts (iV_oc = 694 mV) open a promising route to a simplified interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cell featuring passivated contacts. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Activation energy of hydrogen desorption from high-performance titanium oxide carrier-selective contacts with silicon oxide interlayers

The impact of hydrogen desorption on the electrical properties of TiO_x on crystalline silicon (c-Si) with SiO_y interlayers is studied for the development of high-performance TiO_x carrier-selective contacts. Compared with the TiO_x/c-Si heterocontacts, a lower surface recombination velocity of 9.6 cm/s and lower contact resistivity of 7.1 mΩ cm² are obtained by using SiO_y interlayers formed by mixture (often called SC2). The hydrogen desorption peaks arising from silicon dihydride (α1) and silicon monohydride (α2) on the c-Si surface of the as-deposited samples are observed. The α1 peak pressure of as-deposited heterocontacts with SiO_x interlayers is lower than that of heterocontacts without a SiO_y interlayer. Furthermore, the hydrogen desorption energies are found to be 1.76 and 2.13 eV for the TiO_x/c-Si and TiO_x/SC2-SiO_y/c-Si heterocontacts, respectively. Therefore, the excellent passivation of the TiO_x/SC2-SiO_y/c-Si heterocontacts is ascribed to the relatively high rupture energy of bonding between Si and H atoms.