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SiNx:H Films for Efficient Bulk Passivation of Nonconventional Wafers for Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

  • Nanomaterials and Composites for Energy Conversion and Storage
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Abstract

Hydrogenated silicon nitride films (SiNx:H) deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) have been studied to passivate defects with hydrogen in the bulk of multicrystalline silicon wafers. Extensive analysis of the PECVD process was carried out to identify the parameters that control the SiNx:H material composition and that mainly influence its mass density and hydrogen content. In addition, the incorporation of a hydrogen gas flow is presented as a strategy to increase the refractive index while enhancing the mass density. Satisfactory results in terms of the effective minority-carrier lifetime of the wafers have been achieved with highly hydrogenated SiNx:H films and with slightly hydrogenated films densified by introducing a hydrogen flow, evincing the importance of the mass density in the passivation process. These hydrogenated wafers could be employed in silicon heterojunction solar cell fabrication, improving their quality, reducing their costs, and enhancing their sustainability.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been funded by the Spanish of Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under projects CHENOC ‘Silicon HEterojunction solar cells in Non-Conventional structures’ (ENE2016-78933-C4-3-R). Program Oriented to the Challenges of the Society - Spain National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2013-2016. The authors would like to thank the Unit of Microstructural and Microanalysis Characterization of CIEMAT for XPS measurements and the CAI of Physic-UCM for RTA treatments.

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  1. Renewable-Energy Department, CIEMAT, Avenida Complutense 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Rocío Barrio, Nieves Gonzalez & Jose Javier Gandía

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  1. Rocío Barrio
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  2. Nieves Gonzalez
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  3. Jose Javier Gandía
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Correspondence to Rocío Barrio.

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Barrio, R., Gonzalez, N. & Gandía, J.J. SiNx:H Films for Efficient Bulk Passivation of Nonconventional Wafers for Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells. JOM 73, 2781–2789 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-021-04761-4

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