Effective silicon surface passivation by atomic layer deposited Al2O3/TiO2 stacks

In this work atomic layer deposition of Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ has been used to obtain dielectric stacks for passivation of silicon surfaces. Our experiments on n‐ and p‐type silicon wafers deposited by thin Al₂O₃/TiO₂ stacks show that a considerably improved passivation is obtained compared to the Al₂O₃ single layer. For Al₂O₃ films thinner than 20 nm the emitter saturation current density decreases with increasing TiO₂ thickness. Especially the passivation of ultrathin (～5 nm) Al₂O₃ is very effectively enhanced by TiO₂ due to a decreased interface defect density as well as an increased fixed negative charge in the stacks. Hence, the thin Al₂O₃/TiO₂ stacks developed in this work can be used as a passivation coating for Si‐based solar cells. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Silicon surface passivation by atomic‐layer‐deposited Al2O3 facilitated in situ by the combination of H2O and O3 as reactants

We investigate the effect of O₃ and H₂O oxidant pre‐pulse prior to Al₂O₃ atomic layer deposition for Si surface passivation. Interfacial oxide SiO_x formed by the O₃ pre‐pulse is more beneficial than that by H₂O to a high level of surface passivation. The passivation of thinner H₂O–Al₂O₃ films is more improved by this O₃ pre‐pulse. O₃ pre‐pulse for 10 nm H₂O–Al₂O₃ reduces saturation current density in boron emitter to 18 fA cm^–2 by a factor of 1.7. Capacitance–voltage measurements reveal this interfacial oxide plays a role of decreasing interface trap density without detrimental effect to negative charge density of Al₂O₃. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Low‐thermal budget flash light annealing for Al2O3 surface passivation

This value is achieved due to a very low interface trap density of below 10¹⁰ eV^–1 cm^–2 and a fixed charge density of (2–3) × 10¹² cm^–2. In contrast, plasma ALD‐grown Al₂O₃ layers only reach carrier lifetimes of about 1 ms. This is mainly caused by a more than 10 times higher density of interface traps, and thus, inferior chemical passivation. The strong influence of the deposition parameters is explained by the limitation of hydrogen transport in Al₂O₃ during low‐thermal budget annealing. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A12o3钝化及其在晶硅太阳电池中的应用

介绍了A1203的材料性质及其原子层沉积制备方法,详细阐述了该材料的钝化机制（化学钝化和场效应钝化）,并从薄膜厚度、热稳定性及叠层钝化等角度阐释其优化方案．概述了Al203钝化在晶体硅太阳电池中的应用,主要包括钝化发射极及背面局部扩散电池和钝化发射极及背表面电池．最后,对A1203钝化工艺的未来研究方向和大规模的工业应用进行了展望．     

Crystalline silicon surface passivation investigated by thermal atomic-layer-deposited aluminum oxide

Atomic-layer-deposited(ALD) aluminum oxide(Al_2O_3) has demonstrated an excellent surface passivation for crystalline silicon(c-Si) surfaces, as well as for highly boron-doped c-Si surfaces. In this paper, water-based thermal atomic layer deposition of Al_2O_3 films are fabricated for c-Si surface passivation. The influence of deposition conditions on the passivation quality is investigated. The results show that the excellent passivation on n-type c-Si can be achieved at a low thermal budget of 250℃ given a gas pressure of 0.15 Torr. The thickness-dependence of surface passivation indicates that the effective minority carrier lifetime increases drastically when the thickness of Al_2O_3 is larger than 10 nm. The influence of thermal post annealing treatments is also studied. Comparable carrier lifetime is achieved when Al_2O_3 sample is annealed for 15 min in forming gas in a temperature range from 400℃ to 450℃. In addition, the passivation quality can be further improved when a thin PECVD-SiN_x cap layer is prepared on Al_2O_3, and an effective minority carrier lifetime of2.8 ms and implied Voc of 721 mV are obtained. In addition, several novel methods are proposed to restrain blistering.     

Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of gallium oxide on crystalline silicon: demonstration of surface passivation and negative interfacial charge

Herein we report on the passivation of crystalline silicon by gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) using oxygen plasma as the oxidizing reactant in an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. Excess carrier lifetimes of 2.1 ms have been measured on 1.75 Ω cm p‐type silicon, from which a surface recombination current density J₀ of 7 fA cm^–2 is extracted. From high frequency capacitance‐voltage (HF CV) measurements it is shown that, as in the case of Al₂O₃, the presence of a high negative charge density Q_tot/q of up to –6.2 × 10¹² cm^–2 is one factor contributing to the passivation of silicon by Ga₂O₃. Defect densities at midgap on the order of ～5 × 10¹¹ eV^–1 cm^–2 are extracted from the HF CV data on samples annealed at 300 °C for 30 minutes in a H₂/Ar ambient, representing an order of magnitude reduction in the defect density compared to pre‐anneal data. Passivation of a boron‐diffused p⁺ surface (96 Ω/□) is also demonstrated, resulting in a J₀ of 52 fA cm^–2. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

热原子层沉积氧化铝对硅的钝化性能及热稳定性

原子层沉积氧化铝已经成为应用于钝化发射极和背面点接触（PERC）型晶硅太阳能电池优异的钝化材料．对于基于丝网印刷技术的太阳能电池,钝化材料的钝化效果及其热稳定性是非常重要的．本文在太阳能级硅片上用热原子层沉积设备制备了20nm和30nm的氧化铝,少子寿命测试结果显示初始沉积的氧化铝薄膜具有一定的钝化效果,在退火后可达到100μs以上,相当于硅表面复合速度小于100cm／s．经过制备传统晶硅太阳能电池的烧结炉后,少子寿命能够保持在烧结前的一半以上,可应用于工业PERC型电池的制备．通过电子显微镜观察到了较厚的氧化铝薄膜有气泡,解释了30nm氧化铝比20nm氧化铝钝化性能和稳定性更差的异常表现．     

Excellent Si surface passivation by low temperature SiO2 using an ultrathin Al2O3 capping film

It is demonstrated that the application of an ultrathin aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) capping film can improve the level of silicon surface passivation obtained by low‐temperature synthesized SiO₂ profoundly. For such stacks, a very high level of surface passivation was achieved after annealing, with S_eff < 2 cm/s for 3.5 Ω cm n‐type c‐Si. This can be attributed primarily to a low interface defect density (D_it < 10¹¹ eV^–1 cm^–2). Consequently, the Al₂O₃ capping layer induced a high level of chemical passivation at the Si/SiO₂ interface. Moreover, the stacks showed an exceptional stability during high‐temperature firing processes and therefore provide a low temperature (≤400 °C) alternative to thermally‐grown SiO₂. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Influences of different oxidants on characteristics of La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates deposited by atomic layer deposition

A comparative study of two kinds of oxidants(H_2O and O_3) with the combination of two metal precursors(TMA and La(~iPrCp)_3) for atomic layer deposition(ALD) La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates is carried out. The effects of different oxidants on the physical properties and electrical characteristics of La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates are studied. Initial testing results indicate that La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates could avoid moisture absorption in the air after thermal annealing. However, moisture absorption occurs in H_2O-based La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates due to the residue hydroxyl/hydrogen groups during annealing. As a result, roughness enhancement, band offset variation, low dielectric constant and poor electrical characteristics are measured because the properties of H_2O-based La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates are deteriorated. Addition thermal annealing effects on the properties of O_3-based La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates indicate that O_3 is a more appropriate oxidant to deposit La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates for electron devices application.     

Performance and reliability improvement of La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates using ultraviolet ozone post treatment

La-based binary or ternary compounds have recently attracted a great deal of attention as a potential candidate to replace the currently used Hf-based dielectrics in future transistor and capacitor devices for sub-22 generation. However, the hygroscopic nature of La₂O₃ hampers its application as dielectrics in electron devices. To cope with this challenge, ultraviolet (UV) ozone post treatment is proposed to suppress the moisture absorption in the H₂O-based atomic layer deposition (ALD) La₂O₃/Al₂O₃ nanolaminates which is related to the residual hydroxyl/hydrogen groups after annealing. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and conductive atomic force microscopy (AFM) results indicate that the moisture absorption of the H₂O-based ALD La₂O₃/Al₂O₃ nanolaminates is efficiently suppressed after 600 ℃ annealing, and the electrical characteristics are greatly improved.     

原子层沉积Al2O3/n-GaN MOS结构的电容特性

利用原子层沉积技术制备了具有圆形透明电 极的Ni/Au/Al₂O₃/n-GaN金属-氧化物-半导体结构, 研究了紫外光照对样品电容特性及深能级界面态的影响, 分析了非理想样品积累区电容随偏压增加而下降的物理起源. 在无光照情形下, 由于极长的电子发射时间与极慢的少数载流子热产生速率, 样品的室温电容-电压扫描曲线表现出典型的深耗尽行为, 且准费米能级之上占据深能级界面态的电子状态保持不变. 当器件受紫外光照射时, 半导体耗尽层内的光生空穴将复合准费米能级之上的深能级界面态电子, 同时还将与氧化层内部的深能级施主态反应. 非理想样品积累区电容的下降可归因于绝缘层漏电导的急剧增大, 其诱发机理可能是与氧化层内的缺陷态及界面质量有关的“charge-to-breakdown”过程. 关键词： 原子层沉积 2O₃/n-GaN')" href="#">Al₂O₃/n-GaN 金属-氧化物-半导体结构 电容特性     

Surface passivation in n-type silicon and its application in silicon drift detector

Based on the surface passivation of n-type silicon in a silicon drift detector(SDD), we propose a new passivation structure of SiO2/Al2O3/SiO2 passivation stacks. Since the SiO2 formed by the nitric-acid-oxidation-of-silicon(NAOS)method has good compactness and simple process, the first layer film is formed by the NAOS method. The Al2O3 film is also introduced into the passivation stacks owing to exceptional advantages such as good interface characteristic and simple process. In addition, for requirements of thickness and deposition temperature, the third layer of the SiO2 film is deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD). The deposition of the SiO2 film by PECVD is a low-temperature process and has a high deposition rate, which causes little damage to the device and makes the SiO2 film very suitable for serving as the third passivation layer. The passivation approach of stacks can saturate dangling bonds at the interface between stacks and the silicon substrate, and provide positive charge to optimize the field passivation of the n-type substrate.The passivation method ultimately achieves a good combination of chemical and field passivations. Experimental results show that with the passivation structure of SiO2/Al2O3/SiO2, the final minority carrier lifetime reaches 5223 μs at injection of 5×10¹⁵ cm^-3. When it is applied to the passivation of SDD, the leakage current is reduced to the order of nA.     

Al2O3钝化及其在晶硅太阳电池中的应用

介绍了Al₂O₃的材料性质及其原子层沉积制备方法, 详细阐述了该材料的钝化机制(化学钝化和场效应钝化), 并从薄膜厚度、热稳定性及叠层钝化等角度阐释其优化方案. 概述了Al₂O₃钝化在晶体硅太阳电池中的应用, 主要包括钝化发射极及背面局部扩散电池和钝化发射极及背表面电池. 最后, 对Al₂O₃钝化工艺的未来研究方向和大规模的工业应用进行了展望.     

Silicon surface passivation by aluminium oxide studied with electron energy loss spectroscopy

The origin behind crystalline silicon surface passivation by Al₂O₃ films is studied in detail by means of spatially‐resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy. The bonding configurations of Al and O are studied in as‐deposited and annealed Al₂O₃ films grown on c‐Si substrates by plasma‐assisted and thermal atomic layer deposition. The results confirm the presence of an interfacial SiO₂‐like film and demonstrate changes in the ratio between tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated Al in the films after annealing. These observations reveal the underlying origin of c‐Si surface passivation by Al₂O₃. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Atomic layer deposition of TiO2 and Al‐doped TiO2 films on Ir substrates for ultralow leakage currents

TiO₂ and Al‐doped TiO₂ (ATO) films were grown on Ir substrates by atomic layer deposition using O₃ as the oxygen source. With increasing O₃ feeding time, the crystalline structure of the TiO₂ films was transformed from anatase to rutile. Above an O₃ feeding time of 35 s, the films crystallized as only rutile due to the formation of IrO₂ layer at the interface. The TiO₂ and ATO films showed higher dielectric constants of 78 and 51, respectively. The films on Ir showed superior leakage properties compared to the films on Ru due to the high work‐function of Ir. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Contact passivation in silicon solar cells using atomic‐layer‐deposited aluminum oxide layers

Atomic‐layer‐deposited aluminum oxide (AlO_x) layers are implemented between the phosphorous‐diffused n⁺‐emitter and the Al contact of passivated emitter and rear silicon solar cells. The increase in open‐circuit voltage V_oc of 12 mV for solar cells with the Al/AlO_x/n⁺‐Si tunnel contact compared to contacts without AlO_x layer indicates contact passivation by the implemented AlO_x. For the optimal AlO_x layer thickness of 0.24 nm we achieve an independently confirmed energy conversion efficiency of 21.7% and a V_oc of 673 mV. For AlO_x thicknesses larger than 0.24 nm the tunnel probability decreases, resulting in a larger series resistance. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Passivation of black silicon boron emitters with atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide

The nanostructured surface – also called black silicon (b‐Si) – is a promising texture for solar cells because of its extremely low reflectance combined with low surface recombination obtained with atomic layer deposited (ALD) thin films. However, the challenges in keeping the excellent optical properties and passivation in further processing have not been addressed before. Here we study especially the applicability of the ALD passivation on highly boron doped emitters that is present in crystalline silicon solar cells. The results show that the nanostructured boron emitters can be passivated efficiently using ALD Al₂O₃ reaching emitter saturation current densities as low as 51 fA/cm². Furthermore, reflectance values less than 0.5% after processing show that the different process steps are not detrimental for the low reflectance of b‐Si. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)