Improvement of Performance of Single and Multicrystalline Silicon Solar Cell Using Lowtemperature Surface Passivation Layer and Antireflection Coating

Abstract

In this work, amorphous silicon oxide (a-SiOx:H) and silicon nitride (a-SiNx:H) layers are deposited at a very low substrate temperature of 250oC -300oC by the chemical Vapour deposition technique. Interface charge density (Dit) and fixed charge density (Qf) have been estimated by high frequency (1 MHz) capacitancevoltage measurement on Metal-Insulator–Silicon structure (CV-MIS). The low interface charge density (Dit) reduces the surface recombination velocity. Fixed positive charges (Df) stored in SiOx:H/a-SiNx:H layer forms negative charges at silicon film. The band bending due to negative charges provides a very effective field-induced surface passivation. A significant improvement in efficiency and short circuit current has been observed using developed a-SiOx:H and a-SiNx:H on the front surface of c-Si solar cells. As the refractive index of the films is close to silicon, hence it also acts as an anti-reflection coating (ARC) to reduce optical losses in silicon solar cells.

Keywords: A passivation layer, Antireflection coating, Chemical Vapour deposition, Fixed charge density, Interface charge density.

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