Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1942/29926
Title: A novel silicon heterojunction IBC process flow using partial etching of doped a-Si:H to switch from hole contact to electron contact in situ with efficiencies close to 23%
Authors: Radhakrishnan, Hariharsudan Sivaramakrishnan
Uddin, M. D. Gius
Xu, Menglei
Cho, Jinyoun
Ghannam, Moustafa
GORDON, Ivan 
Szlufcik, Jozef
POORTMANS, Jef 
Issue Date: 2019
Publisher: WILEY
Source: PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS, 27(11), p. 959-970
Abstract: We present a novel process sequence to simplify the rear-side patterning of the silicon heterojunction interdigitated back contact (HJ IBC) cells. In this approach, interdigitated strips of a-Si:H (i/p(+)) hole contact and a-Si:H (i/n(+)) electron contact are achieved by partially etching a blanket a-Si:H (i/p(+)) stack through an SiOx hard mask to remove only the p(+) a-Si:H layer and replace it with an n(+) a-Si:H layer, thereby switching from a hole contact to an electron contact in situ, without having to remove the entire passivation. This eliminates the ex situ wet clean after dry etching and also prevents re-exposure of the crystalline silicon surface during rear-side processing. Using a well-controlled process, high-quality passivation is maintained throughout the rear-side process sequence leading to high open-circuit voltages (V-OC). A slightly higher contact resistance at the electron contact leads to a slightly higher fill factor (FF) loss due to series resistance for cells from the partial etch route, but the FF loss due to J(02)-type recombination is lower, compared with reference cells. As a result, the best cell from the partial etch route has an efficiency of 22.9% and a V-OC of 729 mV, nearly identical to the best reference cell, demonstrating that the developed partial etch process can be successfully implemented to achieve cell performance comparable with reference, but with a simpler, cheaper, and faster process sequence.
Notes: [Radhakrishnan, Hariharsudan Sivaramakrishnan; Uddin, M. D. Gius; Xu, Menglei; Cho, Jinyoun; Gordon, Ivan; Szlufcik, Jozef; Poortmans, Jef] IMEC, Dept Photovolta, Leuven, Belgium. [Xu, Menglei; Cho, Jinyoun; Poortmans, Jef] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Dept Elect Engn, Leuven, Belgium. [Ghannam, Moustafa] Kuwait Univ, Coll Engn & Petr, EE Dept, Safat, Kuwait. [Poortmans, Jef] Univ Hasselt, Dept Phys, Hasselt, Belgium.
Keywords: amorphous silicon; dry etch; H-2 plasma; heterojunction; in situ processing; interdigitated back contact (IBC); NF3; Ar plasma; process simplification;Energy & Fuels; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary; Physics, Applied
Document URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1942/29926
ISSN: 1062-7995
e-ISSN: 1099-159X
DOI: 10.1002/pip.3101
ISI #: 000491221900007
Rights: 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Category: A1
Type: Journal Contribution
Appears in Collections:Research publications

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