Effective passivation of the low resistivity silicon surface by a rapid thermal oxide/plasma silicon nitride stack
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaics Research and Education, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia30332-0250 (United States)
A passivation scheme involving plasma silicon nitride (PECVD SiN) deposition on top of SiO{sub 2} grown by rapid thermal oxidation is developed to attain a low surface recombination velocity ({ital S}) of nearly 10 cm/s on the 1.25 {Omega}cm {ital p}-type (100) silicon surface. Such low {ital S} values are achieved by the stack structure even when the rapid thermal oxide (RTO) or PECVD SiN films {ital individually} yield poorer surface passivation. Critical to achieving low {ital S} by the RTO/PECVD SiN stack is the use of a short, moderate temperature anneal (in this study 730{degree}C for 30 seconds) after the stack formation. This thermal treatment is believed to enhance the release and delivery of atomic hydrogen from the SiN film to the Si{endash}SiO{sub 2} interface, thereby reducing the density of interface traps at the silicon surface. Compatibility with this post-deposition anneal makes the stack passivation scheme attractive for cost-effective solar cell production where a similar anneal is required to form screen-printed contacts. {copyright} {ital 1998 American Institute of Physics.}
- OSTI ID:
- 624848
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 15 Vol. 72; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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