Electrical Characterization of Amorphous Silicon MIS-Based Structures for HIT Solar Cell Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Semiconductor Physics
• Photovoltaics

Background:

• Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) on crystalline silicon (c-Si) is a promising structure for photovoltaic applications.
• Electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) is a method for depositing a-Si:H layers.
• Understanding the electrical properties of the a-Si:H/c-Si interface is crucial for device performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive electrical characterization of a-Si:H layers deposited on c-Si substrates.
• To investigate the impact of deposition temperature on the electrical properties and interface quality.
• To determine optimal growth conditions for photovoltaic applications.

Main Methods:

• Deposition of a-Si:H layers on c-Si substrates using ECR-CVD at various temperatures (30-200°C).
• Electrical characterization of the deposited layers and interfaces.
• Post-metallization rapid thermal annealing in a forming gas atmosphere at 200°C for 10 minutes.

Main Results:

• The interfacial state density was evaluated as a function of deposition temperature.
• Higher growth temperatures led to improved interface passivation.
• An increased contribution of slow states was observed at higher deposition temperatures.

Conclusions:

• Intermediate growth temperatures (100-150°C) offer the best balance for a-Si:H/c-Si structures in photovoltaic applications.
• Optimizing deposition temperature is key to minimizing detrimental interface states.
• Further research may focus on mitigating slow state contributions at higher temperatures.