Electronic Passivation of Crystalline Silicon Surfaces Using Spatial‐Atomic‐Layer‐Deposited HfO2 Films and HfO2/SiNx Stacks

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Autoren

  • Jan Schmidt
  • Michael Winter
  • Floor Souren
  • Jons Bolding
  • Hindrik de Vries

Externe Organisationen

  • Institut für Solarenergieforschung GmbH (ISFH)
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Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Fachzeitschriftphysica status solidi (RRL) – Rapid Research Letters
Jahrgang2024
PublikationsstatusElektronisch veröffentlicht (E-Pub) - 7 Okt. 2024

Abstract

Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (SALD) is applied to the electronic passivation of moderately doped (~10^16 cm^–3) p-type crystalline silicon surfaces by thin layers of hafnium oxide (HfO2). For 10 nm thick HfO2 layers annealed at 400°C, an effective surface recombination velocity Seff of 4 cm/s is achieved, which is below what has been reported before on moderately doped p-type silicon. The one-sun implied open-circuit voltage amounts to iVoc = 727 mV. After firing at 700°C peak temperature in a conveyor belt furnace, as applied in the production of solar cells, still a good level of surface passivation with an Seff of 21 cm/s is attained. Reducing the HfO2 thickness to 1 nm, the passivation virtually vanishes after firing (i.e., Seff > 1000 cm/s). However, by adding a capping layer of plasma-enhanced-chemical-vapor-deposited hydrogen-rich silicon nitride (SiNx) onto the 1 nm HfO2, a substantially improved firing stability is attained, as demonstrated by Seff values as low as 30 cm/s after firing, which is attributed to the hydrogenation of interface states. The presented study demonstrates that SALD-deposited HfO2 layers and HfO2/SiNx stacks have the potential to evolve into an attractive surface passivation scheme for future solar cells.

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

Zitieren

Electronic Passivation of Crystalline Silicon Surfaces Using Spatial‐Atomic‐Layer‐Deposited HfO2 Films and HfO2/SiNx Stacks. / Schmidt, Jan; Winter, Michael; Souren, Floor et al.
in: physica status solidi (RRL) – Rapid Research Letters, Jahrgang 2024, 07.10.2024.

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

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title = "Electronic Passivation of Crystalline Silicon Surfaces Using Spatial‐Atomic‐Layer‐Deposited HfO2 Films and HfO2/SiNx Stacks",
abstract = "Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (SALD) is applied to the electronic passivation of moderately doped (~10^16 cm^–3) p-type crystalline silicon surfaces by thin layers of hafnium oxide (HfO2). For 10 nm thick HfO2 layers annealed at 400°C, an effective surface recombination velocity Seff of 4 cm/s is achieved, which is below what has been reported before on moderately doped p-type silicon. The one-sun implied open-circuit voltage amounts to iVoc = 727 mV. After firing at 700°C peak temperature in a conveyor belt furnace, as applied in the production of solar cells, still a good level of surface passivation with an Seff of 21 cm/s is attained. Reducing the HfO2 thickness to 1 nm, the passivation virtually vanishes after firing (i.e., Seff > 1000 cm/s). However, by adding a capping layer of plasma-enhanced-chemical-vapor-deposited hydrogen-rich silicon nitride (SiNx) onto the 1 nm HfO2, a substantially improved firing stability is attained, as demonstrated by Seff values as low as 30 cm/s after firing, which is attributed to the hydrogenation of interface states. The presented study demonstrates that SALD-deposited HfO2 layers and HfO2/SiNx stacks have the potential to evolve into an attractive surface passivation scheme for future solar cells.",
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T1 - Electronic Passivation of Crystalline Silicon Surfaces Using Spatial‐Atomic‐Layer‐Deposited HfO2 Films and HfO2/SiNx Stacks

AU - Schmidt, Jan

AU - Winter, Michael

AU - Souren, Floor

AU - Bolding, Jons

AU - Vries, Hindrik de

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). physica status solidi (RRL) Rapid Research Letters published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.

PY - 2024/10/7

Y1 - 2024/10/7

N2 - Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (SALD) is applied to the electronic passivation of moderately doped (~10^16 cm^–3) p-type crystalline silicon surfaces by thin layers of hafnium oxide (HfO2). For 10 nm thick HfO2 layers annealed at 400°C, an effective surface recombination velocity Seff of 4 cm/s is achieved, which is below what has been reported before on moderately doped p-type silicon. The one-sun implied open-circuit voltage amounts to iVoc = 727 mV. After firing at 700°C peak temperature in a conveyor belt furnace, as applied in the production of solar cells, still a good level of surface passivation with an Seff of 21 cm/s is attained. Reducing the HfO2 thickness to 1 nm, the passivation virtually vanishes after firing (i.e., Seff > 1000 cm/s). However, by adding a capping layer of plasma-enhanced-chemical-vapor-deposited hydrogen-rich silicon nitride (SiNx) onto the 1 nm HfO2, a substantially improved firing stability is attained, as demonstrated by Seff values as low as 30 cm/s after firing, which is attributed to the hydrogenation of interface states. The presented study demonstrates that SALD-deposited HfO2 layers and HfO2/SiNx stacks have the potential to evolve into an attractive surface passivation scheme for future solar cells.

AB - Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (SALD) is applied to the electronic passivation of moderately doped (~10^16 cm^–3) p-type crystalline silicon surfaces by thin layers of hafnium oxide (HfO2). For 10 nm thick HfO2 layers annealed at 400°C, an effective surface recombination velocity Seff of 4 cm/s is achieved, which is below what has been reported before on moderately doped p-type silicon. The one-sun implied open-circuit voltage amounts to iVoc = 727 mV. After firing at 700°C peak temperature in a conveyor belt furnace, as applied in the production of solar cells, still a good level of surface passivation with an Seff of 21 cm/s is attained. Reducing the HfO2 thickness to 1 nm, the passivation virtually vanishes after firing (i.e., Seff > 1000 cm/s). However, by adding a capping layer of plasma-enhanced-chemical-vapor-deposited hydrogen-rich silicon nitride (SiNx) onto the 1 nm HfO2, a substantially improved firing stability is attained, as demonstrated by Seff values as low as 30 cm/s after firing, which is attributed to the hydrogenation of interface states. The presented study demonstrates that SALD-deposited HfO2 layers and HfO2/SiNx stacks have the potential to evolve into an attractive surface passivation scheme for future solar cells.

KW - carrier lifetimes

KW - crystalline silicon

KW - firing stability

KW - hafnium oxide

KW - silicon nitride capping layers

KW - solar cells

KW - surface passivation

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VL - 2024

JO - physica status solidi (RRL) – Rapid Research Letters

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SN - 1862-6254

ER -

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