A passivating contact for silicon solar cells formed during a single firing thermal annealing

Andrea Ingenito (), Gizem Nogay, Quentin Jeangros, Esteban Rucavado, Christophe Allebé, Santhana Eswara, Nathalie Valle, Tom Wirtz, Jörg Horzel, Takashi Koida, Monica Morales-Masis, Matthieu Despeisse, Franz-Josef Haug, Philipp Löper and Christophe Ballif
Additional contact information
Andrea Ingenito: Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory
Gizem Nogay: Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory
Quentin Jeangros: Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory
Esteban Rucavado: Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory
Christophe Allebé: CSEM PV-Center, CSEM
Santhana Eswara: Advanced Instrumentation for Ion Nano-Analytics (AINA), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Materials Research and Technology Department
Nathalie Valle: Advanced Instrumentation for Ion Nano-Analytics (AINA), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Materials Research and Technology Department
Tom Wirtz: Advanced Instrumentation for Ion Nano-Analytics (AINA), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Materials Research and Technology Department
Jörg Horzel: CSEM PV-Center, CSEM
Takashi Koida: Research Center for Photovoltaic, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
Monica Morales-Masis: Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory
Matthieu Despeisse: CSEM PV-Center, CSEM
Franz-Josef Haug: Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory
Philipp Löper: Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory
Christophe Ballif: Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory

Nature Energy, 2018, vol. 3, issue 9, 800-808

Abstract: Abstract Passivating contacts are indispensable for achieving high conversion efficiency in crystalline-silicon solar cells. Their realization and integration into a convenient process flow have become crucial research objectives. Here, we report an alternative passivating contact that is formed in a single post-deposition annealing step called ‘firing’, an essential step for current solar cell manufacturing. As firing is a fast ( 750 °C) anneal, the required microstructural and electrical properties of the passivating contact are stringent. We demonstrate that tuning the carbon content of boron-doped silicon-based thin films inhibits firing-induced layer delamination without preventing a partial crystallization. The latter promotes charge-carrier selectivity, even in the absence of a diffused doped region beyond the oxide, by inducing hole accumulation near the wafer surface. We fabricated proof-of-concept solar cells employing the developed technology, demonstrating an open circuit voltage of 698 mV and an efficiency of 21.9%, and show how it could be a drop-in replacement for today’s rear contacts based on locally opened dielectric passivation stacks.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41560-018-0239-4

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