Volume 16, Issue 5 2100639
Research Article

Process–Structure–Properties Relationships of Passivating, Electron-Selective Contacts Formed by Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition of Phosphorus-Doped Polysilicon

Jannatul Ferdous Mousumi

Jannatul Ferdous Mousumi

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

Resilient Intelligent Sustainable Energy Systems Faculty Cluster, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

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Geoffrey Gregory

Geoffrey Gregory

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

Resilient Intelligent Sustainable Energy Systems Faculty Cluster, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

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Jeya Prakash Ganesan

Jeya Prakash Ganesan

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

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Christian Nunez

Christian Nunez

Schmid Thermal Systems Inc., Watsonville, CA, USA

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Kenneth Provancha

Kenneth Provancha

Schmid Thermal Systems Inc., Watsonville, CA, USA

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Sven Seren

Sven Seren

Schmid Group R&D, 72250 Freundenstadt, Germany

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Heiko Zunft

Heiko Zunft

Schmid Group R&D, 72250 Freundenstadt, Germany

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Titel Jurca

Titel Jurca

Department of Chemistry, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

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Parag Banerjee

Parag Banerjee

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

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Aravinda Kar

Aravinda Kar

CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

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Ranganathan Kumar

Ranganathan Kumar

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

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Kristopher O. Davis

Corresponding Author

Kristopher O. Davis

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

Resilient Intelligent Sustainable Energy Systems Faculty Cluster, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816 USA

FSEC Energy Research Center, Cocoa, FL, 32922 USA

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First published: 27 January 2022
Citations: 7

Abstract

Herein, we investigate the process–structure–properties relationships of in situ phosphorus (P)-doped polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) for fabricating poly-Si passivating, electron selective contacts. This high-throughput in-line APCVD technique enables to achieve a low-cost, simple manufacturing process for crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells featuring poly-Si passivating contact by excluding the need for vacuum/plasma environment, and additional post-deposition doping steps. A thin layer of this P-doped poly-Si is deposited on an ultrathin (1.5 nm) silicon oxide (SiO x ) coated c-Si substrate to fabricate the passivating contact. This is followed by various post-deposition treatments, including a high-temperature annealing step and hydrogenation process. The poly-Si films are characterized to achieve a better understanding of the impacts of deposition process conditions and post-deposition treatments on the microstructure, electrical conductivity, passivation quality, and carrier selectivity of the contacts which assists to identify the optimal process conditions. In this work, the optimized annealing process with post-hydrogenation yields passivating contact with a saturation current density (J 0) of 3 fA cm−2 and an implied open-circuit voltage (iV OC) of 712 mV on planar c-Si wafer. Junction resistivity values ranging from 50 to 260 mΩ cm2 are realized for the poly-Si contacts processed in the optimal annealing condition.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

Research data are not shared.

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