Thermal Stability of the Copper and the AZO Layer on Textured Silicon

Chen, Ping-Hang; Chen, W.J.; Tseng, Jiun-Yi

doi:10.3390/coatings11121546

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…[156,157] However, the relatively poor conductivity and long-term stability of aluminumdoped zinc oxide (AZO) layers need to be solved. [158,159] Another approach to decrease costs induced by indium is to implement thinner ITO. [93,97] The implementation of a thinner TCO layer, however, requires a second layer on top, for example, SiO 2 or Si 3 N 4 to maintain the anti-reflection (AR) optimum.…”

Section: Lower Tco Costmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward Efficiency Limits of Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells: Recent Progress in High‐Efficiency Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Sun

Chen

et al. 2022

Advanced Energy Materials

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Photovoltaic (PV) technology is ready to become one of the main energy sources of, and contributers to, carbon neutrality by the mid‐21st century. In 2020, a total of 135 GW of PV modules were produced. Crystalline silicon solar cells dominate the world's PV market due to high power conversion efficiency, high stability, and low cost. Silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells are one of the promising technologies for next‐generation crystalline silicon solar cells. Compared to the commercialized homojunction silicon solar cells, SHJ solar cells have higher power conversion efficiency, lower temperature coefficient, and lower manufacturing temperatures. Recently, several new record efficiencies have been achieved. To meet the continued demand for high‐efficiency solar cells, expectations for large‐scale mass production of SHJ solar cells are rising. To approach the efficiency limit and industrialization of SHJ solar cells, serious attempts have been made, yielding higher short‐circuit current, open‐circuit voltage, and fill factor. In this article, these recent advancements are reviewed, which reveals the future roadmap for approaching the efficiency limit.

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Section: Lower Tco Costmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward Efficiency Limits of Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells: Recent Progress in High‐Efficiency Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Sun

Chen

et al. 2022

Advanced Energy Materials

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“…Chen et al highlighted the weak adhesion between copper and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO). The peel force measurements for electroplated copper on a copper seed layer on AZO were reported to be 0.39 N/mm for the maximum value and 0.20 N/mm for the average peel force, indicating poor adhesion between copper and AZO [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Electrodeposited Cu on Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Jing¹,

Shan²,

Huang³

et al. 2023

Metals

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This study investigated the use of a pure copper seed layer to improve the adhesion strength and reduce the residual stress of electroplated copper films for heterojunction technology in crystalline solar cells. The experiment involved depositing a copper seed layer and an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer on textured silicon using sputtering. This resulted in the formation of a Cu(s)/ITO/Si structure. Following this step, a 10 µm thick copper layer was electroplated onto the Cu(s)/ITO/Si structure. Various characterization techniques were employed to evaluate the electroplated copper films’ microstructures, residual stress, and adhesion strength. The microstructures of the films were examined using a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), revealing a twin structure with a grain size of approximately 1 µm. The residual stresses of the as-deposited and annealed samples were measured using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), yielding values of 76.4 MPa and 49.1 MPa, respectively. The as-deposited sample exhibited higher tension compared to the annealed sample. To assess the adhesion strength of the electroplated copper films, peel-off tests were conducted at a 90° angle with a constant speed of 30 mm/min. The peel force, measured in units of N/mm, was similar for both the as-deposited and annealed samples. Specifically, the peel force for electroplating copper on the copper seed layer on the ITO was determined to be 2.6 N/mm for the maximum value and 2.25 N/mm for the average value. This study demonstrated that using a pure copper seed layer during electroplating can improve adhesion strength and reduce residual stress in copper films for heterojunction technology in crystalline solar cells. These findings contribute to the development of more reliable and efficient solar-cell-manufacturing processes.

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“…Transparent conductive oxide films (TCO films), due to their high transmittance and low resistivity, have been extensively used as electrodes in various optoelectrical devices, including photovoltaic solar cell [1,2], flat panel display [3], light-emitting diodes [4][5][6], sensors [7], etc. Conventional TCO materials, such as In 2 O 3 :Sn (ITO), highly doped ZnO (with Ga, Al, In, B, etc.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conventional TCO materials, such as In 2 O 3 :Sn (ITO), highly doped ZnO (with Ga, Al, In, B, etc.) and SnO 2 :F, are steadily under study and have been widely utilized in the device industry [1,2,6,[8][9][10]. However, a critical problem in achieving good electrical performance for these materials is an unavoidable high-temperature process in order to activate dopants by substrate heating up to 300 • C directly during film deposition or during subsequent postannealing, which severely limits their application in the dynamically developing area of optoelectronic devices on organic flexible substrates, also called flexible and stretchable optoelectronics [7,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transparent Conductive Indium Zinc Oxide Films: Temperature and Oxygen Dependences of the Electrical and Optical Properties

et al. 2022

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Achieving high-efficiency optoelectronic devices often requires the development of high transparency in the extended range and high-conductivity materials, which can be ensured by the high mobility of charge carriers being used as the electrode. Among the candidate materials, transparent conductive indium zinc oxide (IZO) has attracted significant interest because of its superior electron mobility (5−60 cm2/V·s) and the thermal stability of its structure. In this study, the IZO films were deposited by the radio frequency magnetron sputtering of the IZO ceramic target (containing 10 wt.% ZnO) by varying the two variables of the substrate temperature and the oxygen content in the working gas. Here, the importance of the deposition of the IZO films at a low substrate temperature, not exceeding 100 °C, in order to get the minimum values of the film resistivity is revealed. At a substrate temperature of 100 °C, the film deposited in pure argon demonstrated a minimum resistance of 3.4×10−4 Ω·cm. Despite the fact that, with the addition of O2 in the working gas, an increase in resistivity was observed, the IZO film that deposited under 0.4% O2 content demonstrated the highest mobility (μ = 35 cm2/V·s at ρ = 6.0 × 10−4 Ω·cm) and enhanced transparency in the visible (VIS, 400−800 nm) and near-infrared (NIR, 800−1250 nm) ranges (TVIS ≥ 77% and TNIR ≥ 76%). At an oxygen content above 0.4%, a significant deterioration in electrical properties and a decrease in optical characteristics were observed. SEM and XRD studies of the microstructure of the IZO films allowed the clarification of the effect of both the substrate temperature and the oxygen content on the functional characteristics of the transparent conducting IZO films.

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Thermal Stability of the Copper and the AZO Layer on Textured Silicon

Cited by 4 publications

References 14 publications

Toward Efficiency Limits of Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells: Recent Progress in High‐Efficiency Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Toward Efficiency Limits of Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells: Recent Progress in High‐Efficiency Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Study of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Electrodeposited Cu on Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Transparent Conductive Indium Zinc Oxide Films: Temperature and Oxygen Dependences of the Electrical and Optical Properties

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