Enhanced hydrogenated silicon nitride (SiNx:H) thin film as single layer anti-reflection (SLAR) coating in tunnel oxide passivated contact solar cells

IF 4.2 3区工程技术 Q2 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing Pub Date : 2025-03-16 DOI:10.1016/j.mssp.2025.109483

Alamgeer , Hasnain Yousuf , Rafi Ur Rahman , Seokjin Jang , Shanza Rehan , Muhammad Quddamah Khokhar , Sangheon Park , Junsin Yi

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Abstract

This study presents an in-depth investigation into optimizing the silicon nitride (SiN_x:H) layer for Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) solar cells to enhance overall passivation and efficiency. Focusing on the SiN_x:H thin film, our research explores the effects of varying flow rates to achieve an ideal balance between surface passivation and anti-reflective properties. The optimized SiN_x:H layer deposited with an NH₃/SiH₄ flow rate of 1.3 exhibits a refractive index of 2.04 and a carrier lifetime of 625 μs reflecting an excellent passivation quality. However, transmittance of over 96.12 % is achieved with a bandgap of 3.01 eV under the same optimized condition. Using FTIR we observe the hydrogen concentration of SiN-H and Si-H as 8.96 × 10²² cm⁻³ and 6.74 × 10²² cm⁻³ indicating correlates with enhanced SiN_x:H bonding at 2.04 refractive index. Furthermore, an implied open-circuit voltage (iV_oc) of 714 mV contributes to an overall efficiency of 22.84 % of TOPCon solar cell, underscoring the critical role of fine-tuned SiN_x:H deposition in minimizing recombination losses. Through this approach, we demonstrate the targeted flow rate adjustments can significantly influence SiN_x:H properties, driving improvements in the passivation and optical performance essential for advancing high-efficiency TOPCon solar cells.

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来源期刊

Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

8.00

自引率

4.90%

发文量

780

审稿时长

42 days

期刊介绍： Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing provides a unique forum for the discussion of novel processing, applications and theoretical studies of functional materials and devices for (opto)electronics, sensors, detectors, biotechnology and green energy. Each issue will aim to provide a snapshot of current insights, new achievements, breakthroughs and future trends in such diverse fields as microelectronics, energy conversion and storage, communications, biotechnology, (photo)catalysis, nano- and thin-film technology, hybrid and composite materials, chemical processing, vapor-phase deposition, device fabrication, and modelling, which are the backbone of advanced semiconductor processing and applications. Coverage will include: advanced lithography for submicron devices; etching and related topics; ion implantation; damage evolution and related issues; plasma and thermal CVD; rapid thermal processing; advanced metallization and interconnect schemes; thin dielectric layers, oxidation; sol-gel processing; chemical bath and (electro)chemical deposition; compound semiconductor processing; new non-oxide materials and their applications; (macro)molecular and hybrid materials; molecular dynamics, ab-initio methods, Monte Carlo, etc.; new materials and processes for discrete and integrated circuits; magnetic materials and spintronics; heterostructures and quantum devices; engineering of the electrical and optical properties of semiconductors; crystal growth mechanisms; reliability, defect density, intrinsic impurities and defects.