We show the promising potential of mist chemical vapor deposition (CVD), a nonvacuum and solution-based technology, for the growth of an AlOx film as a rear surface passivation layer of crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells, supported by its safety, low process cost, and low energy consumption for the growth. The AlOx layer grown at 350 °C with aluminum acetylacetonate and ozone, without a successive annealing process, showed an excellent surface passivation property with the negative fixed charge density of about (1–2) × 1012 cm−2, as highlighted by the surface recombination velocity of ∼10 cm/s.

CZTS) thin films, which are promising for thin-film solar cells with abundant elements, have been fabricated by a simple and cost-effective technique of ultrasonic-atomized mist deposition method. The residual oxygen impurity was removed by successive mist sulfurization technique. The films hence obtained exhibited almost stoichiometric composition of CZTS together with optical bandgap energy of 1.44 eV.

The surface passivation of Si wafer by AlOx thin films grown by mist CVD in an open-air atmosphere was studied with a view to improving the effect of high-performance c-Si solar cells. In AlOx thin film grown at a temperature above 400°C by mist CVD, the OH bonding did not remain in the film and the breakdown field (EBD) was over 6 MV/cm. In Si wafers passivated by AlOx thin films grown by mist CVD at growth temperature above 400°C, the negative fixed charge density (Qf) at the interface was higher than 1012 cm-2 and the surface recombination velocity (Seff) was 44.4 cm/s. These results show that mist CVD, which is fundamentally an environmentally friendly technique, may be suitable for the fabrication of a passivation film on Si surfaces designed to improve the effect of high-performance c-Si solar cells.