File(s) under permanent embargo
Exceptional silicon surface passivation by an ONO dielectric stack
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-21, 12:22 authored by Kho, TC, Fong, K, McIntosh, K, Evan FranklinEvan Franklin, Grant, N, Stocks, M, Phang, SP, Wan, Y, Wang, EC, Vora, K, Ngwe, Z, Blakers, AImmeasurably low surface recombination of crystalline-silicon wafers is demonstrated with an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) corona charged dielectric stack. We detail experimental variations to each layer of the dielectric stack to establish a procedure which provides outstanding passivation properties on textured and planar silicon wafers. We demonstrate surface recombination velocities of < 1 cm/s and surface recombination prefactors of < 1 fA/cm2, and we show that passivation remains stable over a 2-year period when stored in ambient conditions. The effective carrier lifetimes of n-type silicon are found to exceed the commonly accepted intrinsic lifetime limit, and in one case, a lifetime of 170 ms is attained. These high lifetimes indicate that ONO passivation is amongst the best dielectric passivation, and as such, might find applications in high-efficiency silicon solar cells.
History
Publication title
Solar Energy Materials and Solar CellsVolume
189Pagination
245-253ISSN
0927-0248Department/School
School of EngineeringPublisher
Elsevier BVPlace of publication
NetherlandsRights statement
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V.Repository Status
- Restricted