Tantalum oxide/silicon nitride: A negatively charged surface passivation stack for silicon solar cells
Abstract
This letter reports effective passivation of crystalline silicon (c-Si) surfaces by thermal atomic layer deposited tantalum oxide (Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}) underneath plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposited silicon nitride (SiN{sub x}). Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy imaging shows an approximately 2 nm thick interfacial layer between Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} and c-Si. Surface recombination velocities as low as 5.0 cm/s and 3.2 cm/s are attained on p-type 0.8 Ω·cm and n-type 1.0 Ω·cm c-Si wafers, respectively. Recombination current densities of 25 fA/cm{sup 2} and 68 fA/cm{sup 2} are measured on 150 Ω/sq boron-diffused p{sup +} and 120 Ω/sq phosphorus-diffused n{sup +} c-Si, respectively. Capacitance–voltage measurements reveal a negative fixed insulator charge density of −1.8 × 10{sup 12 }cm{sup −2} for the Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} film and −1.0 × 10{sup 12 }cm{sup −2} for the Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}/SiN{sub x} stack. The Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}/SiN{sub x} stack is demonstrated to be an excellent candidate for surface passivation of high efficiency silicon solar cells.
- Authors:
-
- Research School of Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 (Australia)
- Publication Date:
- OSTI Identifier:
- 22402449
- Resource Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal Name:
- Applied Physics Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 106; Journal Issue: 20; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; BORON; CHARGE DENSITY; CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION; CURRENT DENSITY; DOPED MATERIALS; FILMS; LAYERS; PASSIVATION; PHOSPHORUS; RECOMBINATION; SILICON; SILICON NITRIDES; SILICON SOLAR CELLS; SURFACES; TANTALUM OXIDES; TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
Citation Formats
Wan, Yimao, Bullock, James, and Cuevas, Andres. Tantalum oxide/silicon nitride: A negatively charged surface passivation stack for silicon solar cells. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1063/1.4921416.
Wan, Yimao, Bullock, James, & Cuevas, Andres. Tantalum oxide/silicon nitride: A negatively charged surface passivation stack for silicon solar cells. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4921416
Wan, Yimao, Bullock, James, and Cuevas, Andres. Mon .
"Tantalum oxide/silicon nitride: A negatively charged surface passivation stack for silicon solar cells". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4921416.
@article{osti_22402449,
title = {Tantalum oxide/silicon nitride: A negatively charged surface passivation stack for silicon solar cells},
author = {Wan, Yimao and Bullock, James and Cuevas, Andres},
abstractNote = {This letter reports effective passivation of crystalline silicon (c-Si) surfaces by thermal atomic layer deposited tantalum oxide (Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}) underneath plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposited silicon nitride (SiN{sub x}). Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy imaging shows an approximately 2 nm thick interfacial layer between Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} and c-Si. Surface recombination velocities as low as 5.0 cm/s and 3.2 cm/s are attained on p-type 0.8 Ω·cm and n-type 1.0 Ω·cm c-Si wafers, respectively. Recombination current densities of 25 fA/cm{sup 2} and 68 fA/cm{sup 2} are measured on 150 Ω/sq boron-diffused p{sup +} and 120 Ω/sq phosphorus-diffused n{sup +} c-Si, respectively. Capacitance–voltage measurements reveal a negative fixed insulator charge density of −1.8 × 10{sup 12 }cm{sup −2} for the Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} film and −1.0 × 10{sup 12 }cm{sup −2} for the Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}/SiN{sub x} stack. The Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}/SiN{sub x} stack is demonstrated to be an excellent candidate for surface passivation of high efficiency silicon solar cells.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4921416},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22402449},
journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
issn = {0003-6951},
number = 20,
volume = 106,
place = {United States},
year = {2015},
month = {5}
}