Stable chemical enhancement of passivating nanolayer structures grown by atomic layer deposition on silicon
Abstract: Incorporation of carrier-selective passivating contacts is on the critical path for approaching the theoretical power conversion efficiency limit in silicon solar cells. We have used plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) to create ultra-thin films at the single nanometre-scale which can be subsequently chemically enhanced to have properties suitable for high-performance contacts. Negatively charged 1 nm thick HfO2 films exhibit very promising passivation properties – exceeding those of SiO2 and Al2O3 at an equivalent thickness – providing a surface recombination velocity (SRV) of 19 cm s−1 on n-type silicon. Applying an Al2O3 capping layer to form Si/HfO2/Al2O3 stacks gives additional passivation, resulting in an SRV of 3.5 cm s−1. Passivation quality can be further improved via simple immersion in hydrofluoric acid, which results in SRVs < 2 cm s−1 that are stable over time (tested for ∼50 days). Based on corona charging analysis, Kelvin probe measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the chemically induced enhancement is consistent with changes at the dielectric surface and not the Si/dielectric interface, with fluorination of the Al2O3 and underlying HfO2 films occurring after just 5 s HF immersion. Our results show that passivation is enhanced when the oxides are fluorinated. The Al2O3 top layer of the stack can be thinned down by etching, offering a new route for fabrication of ultra-thin highly passivating HfO2-containing nanoscale thin films
- Location
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Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
- Extent
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Online-Ressource
- Language
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Englisch
- Notes
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ISSN: 2040-3372
- Classification
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Elektrotechnik, Elektronik
- Event
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Veröffentlichung
- (where)
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Freiburg
- (who)
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Universität
- (when)
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2024
- Creator
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Pain, Sophie L.
Khorani, Edris
Niewelt, Tim
Wratten, Ailish
Walker, Marc
Grant, Nicholas Ewen
Murphy, John D.
- DOI
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10.1039/d3nr01374j
- URN
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urn:nbn:de:bsz:25-freidok-2462103
- Rights
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Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
- Last update
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14.08.2025, 10:59 AM CEST
Data provider
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
Associated
- Pain, Sophie L.
- Khorani, Edris
- Niewelt, Tim
- Wratten, Ailish
- Walker, Marc
- Grant, Nicholas Ewen
- Murphy, John D.
- Universität
Time of origin
- 2024
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Enhancement of Conformality of Silicon Nitride Thin Films by ABC‐Type Atomic Layer Deposition
Atomic Layer Deposition of Hafnium Oxide Passivating Layers on Silicon: Impact of Precursor Selection
ZnO Thin Films Grown by Plasma‐Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition: Material Properties Within and Outside the “Atomic Layer Deposition Window”
Electronic band offset determination of oxides grown by atomic layer deposition on silicon
Quantum size effects in TiO2 thin films grown by atomic layer deposition
Piezoelectric Properties of Zinc Oxide Thin Films Grown by Plasma‐Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition
Resistive switching phenomena in stacks of binary transition metal oxides grown by atomic layer deposition
Evolution of microstructure and related optical properties of ZnO grown by atomic layer deposition
Properties of tin oxide films grown by atomic layer deposition from tin tetraiodide and ozone
Resistive switching phenomena in stacks of binary transition metal oxides grown by atomic layer deposition
Metastable atomic layer deposition
Particle atomic layer deposition