Amorphous silicon passivated contacts for diffused junction silicon solar cells
Abstract
Carrier recombination at the metal contacts is a major obstacle in the development of high-performance crystalline silicon homojunction solar cells. To address this issue, we insert thin intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon [a-Si:H(i)] passivating films between the dopant-diffused silicon surface and aluminum contacts. We find that with increasing a-Si:H(i) interlayer thickness (from 0 to 16 nm) the recombination loss at metal-contacted phosphorus (n{sup +}) and boron (p{sup +}) diffused surfaces decreases by factors of ∼25 and ∼10, respectively. Conversely, the contact resistivity increases in both cases before saturating to still acceptable values of ∼ 50 mΩ cm{sup 2} for n{sup +} and ∼100 mΩ cm{sup 2} for p{sup +} surfaces. Carrier transport towards the contacts likely occurs by a combination of carrier tunneling and aluminum spiking through the a-Si:H(i) layer, as supported by scanning transmission electron microscopy–energy dispersive x-ray maps. We explain the superior contact selectivity obtained on n{sup +} surfaces by more favorable band offsets and capture cross section ratios of recombination centers at the c-Si/a-Si:H(i) interface.
- Authors:
-
- Research School of Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 (Australia)
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of micro engineering (IMT), Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronic Laboratory, Maladière 71, CH-200 Neuchâtel (Switzerland)
- Publication Date:
- OSTI Identifier:
- 22273513
- Resource Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Applied Physics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 115; Journal Issue: 16; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; ALUMINIUM; BORON; CHARGE CARRIERS; CROSS SECTIONS; HETEROJUNCTIONS; HYDROGENATION; INTERFACES; LAYERS; RECOMBINATION; SILICON; SILICON SOLAR CELLS; SURFACES; TUNNEL EFFECT
Citation Formats
Bullock, J., E-mail: james.bullock@anu.edu.au, Yan, D., Wan, Y., Cuevas, A., Demaurex, B., Hessler-Wyser, A., and De Wolf, S. Amorphous silicon passivated contacts for diffused junction silicon solar cells. United States: N. p., 2014.
Web. doi:10.1063/1.4872262.
Bullock, J., E-mail: james.bullock@anu.edu.au, Yan, D., Wan, Y., Cuevas, A., Demaurex, B., Hessler-Wyser, A., & De Wolf, S. Amorphous silicon passivated contacts for diffused junction silicon solar cells. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4872262
Bullock, J., E-mail: james.bullock@anu.edu.au, Yan, D., Wan, Y., Cuevas, A., Demaurex, B., Hessler-Wyser, A., and De Wolf, S. 2014.
"Amorphous silicon passivated contacts for diffused junction silicon solar cells". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4872262.
@article{osti_22273513,
title = {Amorphous silicon passivated contacts for diffused junction silicon solar cells},
author = {Bullock, J., E-mail: james.bullock@anu.edu.au and Yan, D. and Wan, Y. and Cuevas, A. and Demaurex, B. and Hessler-Wyser, A. and De Wolf, S.},
abstractNote = {Carrier recombination at the metal contacts is a major obstacle in the development of high-performance crystalline silicon homojunction solar cells. To address this issue, we insert thin intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon [a-Si:H(i)] passivating films between the dopant-diffused silicon surface and aluminum contacts. We find that with increasing a-Si:H(i) interlayer thickness (from 0 to 16 nm) the recombination loss at metal-contacted phosphorus (n{sup +}) and boron (p{sup +}) diffused surfaces decreases by factors of ∼25 and ∼10, respectively. Conversely, the contact resistivity increases in both cases before saturating to still acceptable values of ∼ 50 mΩ cm{sup 2} for n{sup +} and ∼100 mΩ cm{sup 2} for p{sup +} surfaces. Carrier transport towards the contacts likely occurs by a combination of carrier tunneling and aluminum spiking through the a-Si:H(i) layer, as supported by scanning transmission electron microscopy–energy dispersive x-ray maps. We explain the superior contact selectivity obtained on n{sup +} surfaces by more favorable band offsets and capture cross section ratios of recombination centers at the c-Si/a-Si:H(i) interface.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4872262},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22273513},
journal = {Journal of Applied Physics},
issn = {0021-8979},
number = 16,
volume = 115,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Mon Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}