Surface Passivation Using Silicon Oxide by Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Coating System

In this work, we explore the feasibility to deposit silicon oxide passivating thin films using a fully atmospheric pressure plasma coater to replace vacuum based processes such as plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). It is demonstrated that by using suitable precursors and plasma settings, the deposited film thickness can be accurately controlled for application in high-efficiency solar cell structures. The deposited film is confirmed to be SiO2 close to its stoichiometric structure. By depositing the film onto industrial n-type Czochralski (Cz) Si wafers, effective lifetimes of up to 500 µs are achieved which demonstrates the potential of the atmospheric pressure plasma-deposited passivation film.