Minimising charge carrier recombination at silicon surfaces with improved dielectric coatings

Improvements to the electronic properties of silicon surfaces offer the possibility to iminimise carrier recombination. This in turn can substantially increase the efficiency of solar cells, and reduce the cost of solar electricity the major barrier to the continued rapid expansion of the industry. This project aims to investigate the use of thin interfacial oxide layers between the silicon and overlying dielectrics, and to characterize surfaces featuring such oxides in detail. The objective is to develop commercial cell fabrication sequences featuring oxide/dielectric coatings with significantly improved conversion efficiencies.