scholarly journals Low Reflection and Low Surface Recombination Rate Nano-Needle Texture Formed by Two-Step Etching for Solar Cells

Nanomaterials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Hsun Hsu ◽  
Shih-Mao Liu ◽  
Shui-Yang Lien ◽  
Xiao-Ying Zhang ◽  
Yun-Shao Cho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Recombination Rate ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Surface Recombination ◽  
Chemical Vapor ◽  
Atomic Layer ◽  
Silicon Wafers ◽  
Black Silicon ◽  
Al2o3 Layer ◽  
Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition ◽  
Surface Recombination Rate

In this study, needle-like and pyramidal hybrid black silicon structures were prepared by performing metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) on alkaline-etched silicon wafers. Effects of the MACE time on properties of the black silicon wafers were investigated. The experimental results showed that a minimal reflectance of 4.6% can be achieved at the MACE time of 9 min. The height of the nanostructures is below 500 nm, unlike the height of micrometers needed to reach the same level of reflectance for the black silicon on planar wafers. A stacked layer of silicon nitride (SiNx) grown by inductively-coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICPCVD) and aluminum oxide (Al2O3) by spatial atomic layer deposition was deposited on the black silicon wafers for passivation and antireflection. The 3 min MACE etched black silicon wafer with a nanostructure height of less than 300 nm passivated by the SiNx/Al2O3 layer showed a low surface recombination rate of 43.6 cm/s. Further optimizing the thickness of ICPCVD-SiNx layer led to a reflectance of 1.4%. The hybrid black silicon with a small nanostructure size, low reflectance, and low surface recombination rate demonstrates great potential for applications in optoelectronic devices.

scholarly journals Unprotected sidewalls of implantable silicon-based neural probes and conformal coating as a solution

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pejman Ghelich ◽  
Nicholas F. Nolta ◽  
Martin Han
Keyword(s):  
Silicon Dioxide ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Chemical Vapor ◽  
Atomic Layer ◽  
Batch Process ◽  
Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition ◽  
Conformal Coating ◽  
Silicon Based

AbstractSilicon-based implantable neural devices have great translational potential as a means to deliver various treatments for neurological disorders. However, they are currently held back by uncertain longevity following chronic exposure to body fluids. Conventional deposition techniques cover only the horizontal surfaces which contain active electronics, electrode sites, and conducting traces. As a result, a vast majority of today’s silicon devices leave their vertical sidewalls exposed without protection. In this work, we investigated two batch-process silicon dioxide deposition methods separately and in combination: atomic layer deposition and inductively-coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition. We then utilized a rapid soak test involving potassium hydroxide to evaluate the coverage quality of each protection strategy. Focused ion beam cross sectioning, scanning electron microscopy, and 3D extrapolation enabled us to characterize and quantify the effectiveness of the deposition methods. Results showed that bare silicon sidewalls suffered the most dissolution whereas ALD silicon dioxide provided the best protection, demonstrating its effectiveness as a promising batch process technique to mitigate silicon sidewall corrosion in chronic applications.

scholarly journals Study on Annealing Process of Aluminum Oxide Passivation Layer for PERC Solar Cells

Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1052
Author(s):  
Yu-Chun Huang ◽  
Ricky Wenkuei Chuang
Keyword(s):  
Carrier Lifetime ◽  
Defect Density ◽  
Surface Recombination ◽  
Chemical Vapor ◽  
Minority Carrier Lifetime ◽  
Atomic Layer ◽  
Film Structure ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Annealing Process ◽  
Surface Recombination Velocity

In this study, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) equipment was used to deposit Al2O3 film on a p-type silicon wafer, trimethylaluminum (TMA) and H2O were used as precursor materials, and then the post-annealing process was conducted under atmospheric pressure. The Al2O3 films annealed at different temperatures between 200–500 °C were compared to ascertain the effect of passivation films and to confirm the changes in film structure and thickness before and after annealing through TEM images. Furthermore, the negative fixed charge and interface defect density were analyzed using the C-V measurement method. Photo-induced carrier generation was used to measure the effective minority carrier lifetime, the implied open-circuit voltage, and the effective surface recombination velocity of the film. The carrier lifetime was found to be the longest (2181.7 μs) for Al2O3/Si post-annealed at 400 °C. Finally, with the use of VHF (40.68 MHz) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) equipment, a silicon nitride (SiNx) film was plated as an anti-reflection layer over the front side of the wafer and as a capping layer on the back to realize a passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar cell with optimal efficiency up to 21.54%.

Development of Low Temperature Silicon Nitride and Silicon Dioxide Films by Inductively-Coupled Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition

1999 ◽  
Vol 573 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Lee ◽  
K. D. Mackenzie ◽  
D. Johnson ◽  
S. J. Pearton ◽  
F. Ren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Vapor Deposition ◽  
Silicon Nitride ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Silicon Dioxide ◽  
Vapor Deposition ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Chemical Vapor ◽  
Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Silicon Dioxide Films

ABSTRACTHigh-density plasma technology is becoming increasingly attractive for the deposition of dielectric films such as silicon nitride and silicon dioxide. In particular, inductively-coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICPCVD) offers a great advantage for low temperature processing over plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) for a range of devices including compound semiconductors. In this paper, the development of low temperature (< 200°C) silicon nitride and silicon dioxide films utilizing ICP technology will be discussed. The material properties of these films have been investigated as a function of ICP source power, rf chuck power, chamber pressure, gas chemistry, and temperature. The ICPCVD films will be compared to PECVD films in terms of wet etch rate, stress, and other film characteristics. Two different gas chemistries, SiH4/N2/Ar and SiH4/NH3/He, were explored for the deposition of ICPCVD silicon nitride. The ICPCVD silicon dioxide films were prepared from SiH4/O2/Ar. The wet etch rates of both silicon nitride and silicon dioxide films are significantly lower than films prepared by conventional PECVD. This implies that ICPCVD films prepared at these low temperatures are of higher quality. The advanced ICPCVD technology can also be used for efficient void-free filling of high aspect ratio (3:1) sub-micron trenches.

Fabrication of silicon nanowire based solar cells using TiO2/Al2O3 stack thin films

MRS Advances ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (25) ◽  
pp. 1419-1426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuyoshi Kurokawa ◽  
Ryota Nezasa ◽  
Shinya Kato ◽  
Hisashi Miyazaki ◽  
Isao Takahashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Surface Passivation ◽  
Silicon Nanowire ◽  
Surface Recombination ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Minority Carrier Lifetime ◽  
Atomic Layer ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Surface Reflectance ◽  
Surface Recombination Rate

ABSTRACTTo improve conversion efficiency of silicon nanowire (SiNW) solar cells, it is very important to reduce the surface recombination rate on the surface of SiNWs, since SiNWs have a large surface area. We tried to cover SiNWs with aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and titanium oxide (TiO2) by atomic layer deposition (ALD), since Al2O3 grown by ALD provides an excellent level of surface passivation on silicon wafers and TiO2 has a higher refractive index than Al2O3, leading to the reduction of surface reflectance. The effective minority carrier lifetime in SiNW arrays embedded in a TiO2/Al2O3 stack layer of 94 μsec was obtained, which was comparable to an Al2O3 single layer. The surface reflectance of SiNW solar cells was drastically decreased below around 5% in all of the wavelength range using the Al2O3/TiO2/Al2O3 stack layer. Heterojunction SiNW solar cells with the structure of ITO/p-type hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H)/n-type SiNWs embedded in Al2O3 and TiO2 stack layer for passivation/n-type a-Si:H/back electrode was fabricated, and a typical rectifying property and open-circuit voltage of 356 mV were successfully obtained.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document