Compensation of the sputter damage during a-Si deposition for poly-Si/SiOx passivating contacts by ex-situ p-doping

Steffens, Jonathan; Rinder, Johannes; Hahn, Giso; Terheiden, Barbara

doi:10.1063/1.5123845

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…This type of contact consists of an ultrathin SiO x layer and a heavily doped poly-Si layer on top. So far, most work has focused on improving the quality of poly-Si passivating contacts [9]- [14] and enhancing cell efficiencies. Furthermore, the carrier transport mechanism has been studied as well [15]- [18].…”

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confidence: 99%

Passivation Enhancement of Poly-Si Carrier-Selective Contacts by Applying ALD Al₂O₃ Capping Layers

Yang

Loo

Stodolny

et al. 2022

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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Hydrogenation of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) passivating contacts is crucial for maximizing their passivation performance. This work presents the application of Al 2 O 3 prepared by atomic layer deposition as a hydrogenating capping layer. Several important questions related to this application of Al 2 O 3 are addressed by comparing results from Al 2 O 3 single layers, SiN x single layers, and Al 2 O 3 /SiN x double layers to different poly-Si types. We investigate the effect of the Al 2 O 3 thickness, the poly-Si thickness, the poly-Si doping type, and the postdeposition annealing treatment on the passivation quality of poly-Si passivating contacts. Especially, the Al 2 O 3 /SiN x stack greatly enhances the passivation quality of both n + and p + doped as well as intrinsic poly-Si layers. The Al 2 O 3 layer thickness is crucial for the single-layer approach, whereas the Al 2 O 3 /SiN x stack is less sensitive to the thickness of the Al 2 O 3 layer. A thicker Al 2 O 3 layer is needed for effectively hydrogenating p + compared to n + poly-Si passivating contact. The capping layers can hydrogenate poly-Si layers with thicknesses up to at least 600 nm. The hydrogenation-enhanced passivation for n + poly-Si is found to be more thermally stable in comparison to p + poly-Si. These results provide guidelines on the use of Al 2 O 3 capping layers for poly-Si contacts to significantly improve their passivation performance. Index Terms-Atomic layer deposition (ALD) Al 2 O 3 , hydrogenation, passivation quality, polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) passivating contacts, thermal stability. I. INTRODUCTIONC RYSTALLINE silicon (c-Si) solar cells with polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) as passivating contacts enable Manuscript

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confidence: 99%

Passivation Enhancement of Poly-Si Carrier-Selective Contacts by Applying ALD Al₂O₃ Capping Layers

Yang

Loo

Stodolny

et al. 2022

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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“…Common CVD processes used are plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD), 4,[13][14][15][16][17][18] low pressure CVD (LPCVD), 10,13,[19][20][21][22] atmospheric pressure CVD (APCVD), 23 and hot wire CVD (HWCVD) depositions. 24 Meanwhile, in the PVD approach, sputtering [25][26][27][28][29] or electron beam evaporation 30 are the techniques used so far to form poly-Si films. Each resultant poly-Si film has its unique characteristics.…”

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confidence: 99%

Morphology, microstructure, and doping behaviour: A comparison between different deposition methods for poly‐Si/SiO_x passivating contacts

Truong

Yan

Nguyen

et al. 2021

Progress in Photovoltaics

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Crystallographic structures, optoelectronic properties, and nanoscale surface morphologies of ex situ phosphorus-doped polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si)/SiO x passivating contacts, formed by different deposition methods (sputtering, plasmaenhanced chemical vapour deposition [PECVD], and low-pressure chemical vapour deposition [LPCVD]), are investigated and compared. Across all these deposition technologies, we noted the same trend: higher diffusion temperatures yield films that are more crystalline but that have rougher surface morphologies due to bigger surface crystal grains. Also, the recrystallization process of the as-deposited Si films starts from the SiO x interface, rather than from the film surface and bulk. However, there are some distinct differences among these technologies. First, the LPCVD method yields the lowest deposition rate, roughest surfaces, and smallest degree of crystallinity on finished poly-Si films. In contrast, the PECVD method has the highest deposition rate and smoothest surfaces for both as-deposited Si and annealed poly-Si films. Second, as-deposited sputtered and PECVD Si films contain only an amorphous phase, whereas as-deposited LPCVD films already has some crystalline phase. Third, the LPCVD phosphorus in-diffusion into the substrate depends strongly on the initial film thickness, whereas for the other two methods, it is weakly dependent on thickness. Finally, the passivation quality of every poly-Si film type has different responses to the film thickness and diffusion temperature, suggesting that the ex situ doping optimization should be performed independently.

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Mass production of crystalline silicon solar cells with polysilicon‐based passivating contacts: An industrial perspective

Zhang¹,

Dumbrell²,

Li³

et al. 2022

Progress in Photovoltaics

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Silicon solar cells that employ passivating contacts featuring a heavily doped polysilicon layer on a thin silicon oxide (TOPCon) have been demonstrated to facilitate remarkably high cell efficiencies, amongst the highest achieved to date using a single junction on a silicon substrate. Importantly, it has been shown that the polysiliconbased passivating contacts have a high degree of compatibility with existing mass production processes and toolsets, making them an attractive choice for photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturers to increase the efficiency of their products. With several large PV manufacturers recently announcing plans to push the TOPCon technology into mass production, we review the significant industrial research and development activities that have been undertaken to push the boundaries of the technology and optimise its integration into the existing mass production pipeline. From an industrial perspective, TOPCon fabrication methodology options as well as necessary technological advances in front-side fabrication, cell metallisation and module integration are discussed. The TOPCon technology development is contextualised in terms of larger trends in PV manufacturing, and we look towards the direction of future industrial development.

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Compensation of the sputter damage during a-Si deposition for poly-Si/SiOx passivating contacts by ex-situ p-doping

Cited by 6 publications

References 13 publications

Passivation Enhancement of Poly-Si Carrier-Selective Contacts by Applying ALD Al₂O₃ Capping Layers

Passivation Enhancement of Poly-Si Carrier-Selective Contacts by Applying ALD Al₂O₃ Capping Layers

Morphology, microstructure, and doping behaviour: A comparison between different deposition methods for poly‐Si/SiO_x passivating contacts

Mass production of crystalline silicon solar cells with polysilicon‐based passivating contacts: An industrial perspective

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Compensation of the sputter damage during a-Si deposition for poly-Si/SiOx passivating contacts by ex-situ p-doping

Cited by 6 publications

References 13 publications

Passivation Enhancement of Poly-Si Carrier-Selective Contacts by Applying ALD Al2O3 Capping Layers

Passivation Enhancement of Poly-Si Carrier-Selective Contacts by Applying ALD Al2O3 Capping Layers

Morphology, microstructure, and doping behaviour: A comparison between different deposition methods for poly‐Si/SiOx passivating contacts

Mass production of crystalline silicon solar cells with polysilicon‐based passivating contacts: An industrial perspective

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Passivation Enhancement of Poly-Si Carrier-Selective Contacts by Applying ALD Al₂O₃ Capping Layers

Passivation Enhancement of Poly-Si Carrier-Selective Contacts by Applying ALD Al₂O₃ Capping Layers

Morphology, microstructure, and doping behaviour: A comparison between different deposition methods for poly‐Si/SiO_x passivating contacts