Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies of Electron-Selective Titanium Oxide Contacts in Silicon Solar Cells

Haider Ali; Xinbo Yang; Klaus Weber; Winston V. Schoenfeld; Kristopher O. Davis

doi:10.1017/S1431927617012417

Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies of Electron-Selective Titanium Oxide Contacts in Silicon Solar Cells

Haider Ali^*
, Xinbo Yang
, Klaus Weber
, Winston V. Schoenfeld
, Kristopher O. Davis

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this study, the cross-section of electron-selective titanium oxide (TiO2) contacts for n-type crystalline silicon solar cells were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. It was revealed that the excellent cell efficiency of 21.6% obtained on n-type cells, featuring SiO2/TiO2/Al rear contacts and after forming gas annealing (FGA) at 350°C, is due to strong surface passivation of SiO2/TiO2 stack as well as low contact resistivity at the Si/SiO2/TiO2 heterojunction. This can be attributed to the transformation of amorphous TiO2 to a conducting TiO2-x phase. Conversely, the low efficiency (9.8%) obtained on cells featuring an a-Si:H/TiO2/Al rear contact is due to severe degradation of passivation of the a-Si:H upon FGA.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	900-904
Number of pages	5
Journal	Microscopy and Microanalysis
Volume	23
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S1431927617012417
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2017

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title = "Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies of Electron-Selective Titanium Oxide Contacts in Silicon Solar Cells",

abstract = "In this study, the cross-section of electron-selective titanium oxide (TiO2) contacts for n-type crystalline silicon solar cells were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. It was revealed that the excellent cell efficiency of 21.6\% obtained on n-type cells, featuring SiO2/TiO2/Al rear contacts and after forming gas annealing (FGA) at 350°C, is due to strong surface passivation of SiO2/TiO2 stack as well as low contact resistivity at the Si/SiO2/TiO2 heterojunction. This can be attributed to the transformation of amorphous TiO2 to a conducting TiO2-x phase. Conversely, the low efficiency (9.8\%) obtained on cells featuring an a-Si:H/TiO2/Al rear contact is due to severe degradation of passivation of the a-Si:H upon FGA.",

keywords = "TiO, crystalline silicon, electron-selective contact, solar cell",

author = "Haider Ali and Xinbo Yang and Klaus Weber and Schoenfeld, \{Winston V.\} and Davis, \{Kristopher O.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Microscopy Society of America 2017.",

year = "2017",

month = oct,

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doi = "10.1017/S1431927617012417",

language = "English",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies of Electron-Selective Titanium Oxide Contacts in Silicon Solar Cells

AU - Ali, Haider

AU - Yang, Xinbo

AU - Weber, Klaus

AU - Schoenfeld, Winston V.

AU - Davis, Kristopher O.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © Microscopy Society of America 2017.

PY - 2017/10/1

Y1 - 2017/10/1

N2 - In this study, the cross-section of electron-selective titanium oxide (TiO2) contacts for n-type crystalline silicon solar cells were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. It was revealed that the excellent cell efficiency of 21.6% obtained on n-type cells, featuring SiO2/TiO2/Al rear contacts and after forming gas annealing (FGA) at 350°C, is due to strong surface passivation of SiO2/TiO2 stack as well as low contact resistivity at the Si/SiO2/TiO2 heterojunction. This can be attributed to the transformation of amorphous TiO2 to a conducting TiO2-x phase. Conversely, the low efficiency (9.8%) obtained on cells featuring an a-Si:H/TiO2/Al rear contact is due to severe degradation of passivation of the a-Si:H upon FGA.

AB - In this study, the cross-section of electron-selective titanium oxide (TiO2) contacts for n-type crystalline silicon solar cells were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. It was revealed that the excellent cell efficiency of 21.6% obtained on n-type cells, featuring SiO2/TiO2/Al rear contacts and after forming gas annealing (FGA) at 350°C, is due to strong surface passivation of SiO2/TiO2 stack as well as low contact resistivity at the Si/SiO2/TiO2 heterojunction. This can be attributed to the transformation of amorphous TiO2 to a conducting TiO2-x phase. Conversely, the low efficiency (9.8%) obtained on cells featuring an a-Si:H/TiO2/Al rear contact is due to severe degradation of passivation of the a-Si:H upon FGA.

KW - TiO

KW - crystalline silicon

KW - electron-selective contact

KW - solar cell

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85032579530

U2 - 10.1017/S1431927617012417

DO - 10.1017/S1431927617012417

M3 - Article

SN - 1431-9276

VL - 23

SP - 900

EP - 904

JO - Microscopy and Microanalysis

JF - Microscopy and Microanalysis

IS - 5

ER -

Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies of Electron-Selective Titanium Oxide Contacts in Silicon Solar Cells

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