Overview on SiN surface passivation of crystalline silicon solar cells

Aberle, Armin G.

doi:10.1016/s0927-0248(00)00099-4

Cited by 383 publications

(191 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…A number of previous review articles have been presented on different forms of CVD: thermal CVD [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], plasma enhanced PE-CVD [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19], hot-wire or hot filament (HWCVD or HFCVD) [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] and not many of them have been as exhaustive in their respective areas. Pyrolysis, although classified under CVD in some text, has become a wide area of research and technology covering synthesis of new products, qualitative and quantitative spectroscopic analysis of fluids and, lately, alternative route to production of debri-free x-ray sources; these aspects are elaborated further in the sections that follow.…”

Section: Fig 1 Generalised Schematic Of Chemical Vapor Deposition Symentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress in Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis for Condensed Matter Sciences Developed From Ultrasonic Nebulization Theories Since Michael Faraday

Mwakikunga

2013

Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials Sciences

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Section: Fig 1 Generalised Schematic Of Chemical Vapor Deposition Symentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress in Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis for Condensed Matter Sciences Developed From Ultrasonic Nebulization Theories Since Michael Faraday

Mwakikunga

2013

Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials Sciences

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“…For example, thin films of silicon nitride which are fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in the semiconductor industry are used as passivation layers 4 and in the photovoltaic industry 3,5 . For the etching of organic low-k layers hydrofluorocarbons are replaced by H 2 -N 2 due to economic and ecological reasons 6,7 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurement and modeling of neutral, radical, and ion densities in H2-N2-Ar plasmas

Sode

Jacob

Schwarz-Selinger

et al. 2015

Journal of Applied Physics

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A comprehensive experimental investigation of absolute ion and neutral species densities in an inductively coupled H 2 -N 2 -Ar plasma was carried out. Additionally, the radical and ion densities were calculated using a zero-dimensional rate equation model. The H 2 -N 2 -Ar plasma was studied at a pressure of 1.5 Pa and an rf power of 200 W. The N 2 partial pressure fraction was varied between f N 2 = 0 % and 56 % by a simultaneous reduction of the H 2 partial pressure fraction. The Ar partial pressure fraction was held constant at about 1 %. NH 3 was found to be produced almost exclusively on the surfaces of the chamber wall. NH 3 contributes up to 12 % to the background gas.To calculate the radical densities with the rate equation model it is necessary to know the corresponding wall loss times t wrad of the radicals. t wrad was determined by the temporal decay of radical densities in the afterglow with ionization threshold mass spectrometry during pulsed operation and based on these experimental data the absolute densities of the radical species were calculated and compared to measurement results.Ion densities were determined using a plasma monitor (mass and energy resolved mass spectrometer). H + 3 is the dominant ion in the range of 0.0 ≤ f N 2 < 3.4 %. For 3.4 < f N 2 < 40 % NH + 3 and NH + 4 are the most abundant ions and agree with each other within the experimental uncertainty. For f N 2 = 56 % N 2 H + is the dominant ion while NH + 3 and NH + 4 have only a slightly lower density. Ion species with densities in the range between 0.5 and 10 % of n i,tot are H + 2 , ArH + , and NH + 2 . Ion species with densities less than 0.5 % of n i,tot are H + , Ar + , N + , and NH + . Our model describes the measured ion densities of the H 2 -N 2 -Ar plasma reasonably well. The ion chemistry, i.e., the production and loss processes of the ions and radicals, are discussed in detail. The main features, i.e., the qualitative abundance of the ion species and the ion density dependence on the N 2 partial pressure fraction, are well reproduced by the model.

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“…Amorphous hydrogenated silicon nitride a-SiN x :H (hereafter referred to as SiN x ) synthesised by low-temperature PECVD has become the state-of-the-art ARC layer for c-Si solar cells to fulfil these two requirements. 1,2 It also provides a humidity barrier, protecting underlying interfaces from the degrading effects of moisture, 3,4 and is a source of hydrogen for passivating silicon bulk defects. [5][6][7][8] On c-Si substrates, low surface recombination has been achieved by various plasma techniques and gas mixtures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterisation and optimisation of PECVD SiNx as an antireflection coating and passivation layer for silicon solar cells

Wan¹,

McIntosh²,

Thomson³

2013

AIP Advances

114

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In this work, we investigate how the film properties of silicon nitride (SiNx) depend on its deposition conditions when formed by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). The examination is conducted with a Roth & Rau AK400 PECVD reactor, where the varied parameters are deposition temperature, pressure, gas flow ratio, total gas flow, microwave plasma power and radio-frequency bias voltage. The films are evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to determine structural properties, by spectrophotometry to determine optical properties, and by capacitance–voltage and photoconductance measurements to determine electronic properties. After reporting on the dependence of SiNx properties on deposition parameters, we determine the optimized deposition conditions that attain low absorption and low recombination. On the basis of SiNx growth models proposed in the literature and of our experimental results, we discuss how each process parameter affects the deposition rate and chemical bond density. We then focus on the effective surface recombination velocity Seff, which is of primary importance to solar cells. We find that for the SiNx prepared in this work, 1) Seff does not correlate universally with the bulk structural and optical properties such as chemical bond densities and refractive index, and 2) Seff depends primarily on the defect density at the SiNx-Si interface rather than the insulator charge. Finally, employing the optimized deposition condition, we achieve a relatively constant and low Seff,UL on low-resistivity (≤1.1 Ωcm) p- and n-type c-Si substrates over a broad range of n = 1.85–4.07. The results of this study demonstrate that the trade-off between optical transmission and surface passivation can be circumvented. Although we focus on photovoltaic applications, this study may be useful for any device for which it is desirable to maximize light transmission and surface passivation

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Overview on SiN surface passivation of crystalline silicon solar cells

Cited by 383 publications

References 12 publications

Progress in Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis for Condensed Matter Sciences Developed From Ultrasonic Nebulization Theories Since Michael Faraday

Progress in Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis for Condensed Matter Sciences Developed From Ultrasonic Nebulization Theories Since Michael Faraday

Measurement and modeling of neutral, radical, and ion densities in H2-N2-Ar plasmas

Characterisation and optimisation of PECVD SiNx as an antireflection coating and passivation layer for silicon solar cells

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