Method for passivating crystal silicon surfaces

Patent · Tue Dec 08 00:00:00 EST 2009

OSTI ID:1007940

Wang, Qi ^[1]; Wang, Tihu ^[1]; Page, Matthew R ^[1]; Yan, Yanfa ^[1]

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1. Littleton, CO

In a method of making a c-Si-based cell or a .mu.c-Si-based cell, the improvement of increasing the minority charge carrier's lifetime, comprising: a) placing a c-Si or polysilicon wafer into CVD reaction chamber under a low vacuum condition and subjecting the substrate of the wafer to heating; and b) passing mixing gases comprising NH.sub.3/H.sub.2 through the reaction chamber at a low vacuum pressure for a sufficient time and at a sufficient flow rate to enable growth of an a-Si:H layer sufficient to increase the lifetime of the c-Si or polysilicon cell beyond that of the growth of an a-Si:H layer without treatment of the wafer with NH.sub.3/H.sub.2.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-99GO10093
• Assignee: Alliance For Sustainable Energy, LLC (Golden, CO)
• Patent Number(s): 7,629,236
• Application Number: 11/574,167
• OSTI ID: 1007940
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY