Effective passivation of silicon surfaces by ultrathin atomic-layer deposited niobium oxide
This letter reports on effective surface passivation of n-type crystalline silicon by ultrathin niobium oxide (Nb2O5) films prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subjected to a forming gas anneal at 300 °C. A champion recombination parameter J0 of 20 fA/cm2 and a surface recombination veloci...
Gespeichert in:
Veröffentlicht in: | Applied physics letters 2018-06, Vol.112 (24) |
---|---|
Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
Schlagworte: | |
Online-Zugang: | Volltext |
Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
container_end_page | |
---|---|
container_issue | 24 |
container_start_page | |
container_title | Applied physics letters |
container_volume | 112 |
creator | Macco, B. Bivour, M. Deijkers, J. H. Basuvalingam, S. B. Black, L. E. Melskens, J. van de Loo, B. W. H. Berghuis, W. J. H. Hermle, M. Kessels, W. M. M. (Erwin) |
description | This letter reports on effective surface passivation of n-type crystalline silicon by ultrathin niobium oxide (Nb2O5) films prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subjected to a forming gas anneal at 300 °C. A champion recombination parameter J0 of 20 fA/cm2 and a surface recombination velocity Seff of 4.8 cm/s have been achieved for ultrathin films of 1 nm. The surface pretreatment was found to have a strong impact on the passivation. Good passivation can be achieved on both HF-treated c-Si surfaces and c-Si surfaces with a wet-chemically grown interfacial silicon oxide layer. On HF-treated surfaces, a minimum film thickness of 3 nm is required to achieve a high level of surface passivation, whereas the use of a wet chemically-grown interfacial oxide enables excellent passivation even for Nb2O5 films of only 1 nm. This discrepancy in passivation between both surface types is attributed to differences in the formation and stoichiometry of interfacial silicon oxide, resulting in different levels of chemical passivation. On both surface types, the high level of passivation of ALD Nb2O5 is aided by field-effect passivation originating from a high fixed negative charge density of 1–2 × 1012 cm−3. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the passivation level provided by 1 nm of Nb2O5 can be further enhanced through light-soaking. Finally, initial explorations show that a low contact resistivity can be obtained using Nb2O5-based contacts. Together, these properties make ALD Nb2O5 a highly interesting building block for high-efficiency c-Si solar cells. |
doi_str_mv | 10.1063/1.5029346 |
format | Article |
fullrecord | <record><control><sourceid>proquest_cross</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_proquest_journals_2088354708</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><sourcerecordid>2088354708</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-LOGICAL-c362t-92e203cd978b77787ac7d4f6a1bb6bafee5066b55a60da00c22a0cce0962bc833</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNp90E1LAzEQBuAgCtbqwX8Q8KSwdZJ0k92jlPoBBS968hCSbIIp282aZIv9965W9CB4mhl4eAdehM4JzAhwdk1mJdCazfkBmhAQomCEVIdoAgCs4HVJjtFJSuvxLCljE_SydM6a7LcW9yolv1XZhw4Hh5NvvRnXNESnjE1Y7_DQ5qjyq--wymHjTdGqnY24sX1IPtsGdz5oP2xwePeNPUVHTrXJnn3PKXq-XT4t7ovV493D4mZVGMZpLmpqKTDT1KLSQohKKCOaueOKaM21ctaWwLkuS8WhUQCGUgXGWKg51aZibIou9rl9DG-DTVmuwxC78aWkUFWsnAuoRnW5VyaGlKJ1so9-o-JOEpCf3Ukiv7sb7dXeJuPzVyM_eBviL5R94_7Df5M_ADjifl0</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Aggregation Database</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype><pqid>2088354708</pqid></control><display><type>article</type><title>Effective passivation of silicon surfaces by ultrathin atomic-layer deposited niobium oxide</title><source>AIP Journals Complete</source><source>Alma/SFX Local Collection</source><creator>Macco, B. ; Bivour, M. ; Deijkers, J. H. ; Basuvalingam, S. B. ; Black, L. E. ; Melskens, J. ; van de Loo, B. W. H. ; Berghuis, W. J. H. ; Hermle, M. ; Kessels, W. M. M. (Erwin)</creator><creatorcontrib>Macco, B. ; Bivour, M. ; Deijkers, J. H. ; Basuvalingam, S. B. ; Black, L. E. ; Melskens, J. ; van de Loo, B. W. H. ; Berghuis, W. J. H. ; Hermle, M. ; Kessels, W. M. M. (Erwin)</creatorcontrib><description>This letter reports on effective surface passivation of n-type crystalline silicon by ultrathin niobium oxide (Nb2O5) films prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subjected to a forming gas anneal at 300 °C. A champion recombination parameter J0 of 20 fA/cm2 and a surface recombination velocity Seff of 4.8 cm/s have been achieved for ultrathin films of 1 nm. The surface pretreatment was found to have a strong impact on the passivation. Good passivation can be achieved on both HF-treated c-Si surfaces and c-Si surfaces with a wet-chemically grown interfacial silicon oxide layer. On HF-treated surfaces, a minimum film thickness of 3 nm is required to achieve a high level of surface passivation, whereas the use of a wet chemically-grown interfacial oxide enables excellent passivation even for Nb2O5 films of only 1 nm. This discrepancy in passivation between both surface types is attributed to differences in the formation and stoichiometry of interfacial silicon oxide, resulting in different levels of chemical passivation. On both surface types, the high level of passivation of ALD Nb2O5 is aided by field-effect passivation originating from a high fixed negative charge density of 1–2 × 1012 cm−3. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the passivation level provided by 1 nm of Nb2O5 can be further enhanced through light-soaking. Finally, initial explorations show that a low contact resistivity can be obtained using Nb2O5-based contacts. Together, these properties make ALD Nb2O5 a highly interesting building block for high-efficiency c-Si solar cells.</description><identifier>ISSN: 0003-6951</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1077-3118</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.1063/1.5029346</identifier><identifier>CODEN: APPLAB</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>Melville: American Institute of Physics</publisher><subject>Applied physics ; Atomic layer epitaxy ; Charge density ; Film thickness ; Levels ; Niobium oxides ; Organic chemistry ; Passivity ; Photovoltaic cells ; Pretreatment ; Silicon ; Silicon oxides ; Solar cells ; Stoichiometry ; Thin films</subject><ispartof>Applied physics letters, 2018-06, Vol.112 (24)</ispartof><rights>Author(s)</rights><rights>2018 Author(s). Published by AIP Publishing.</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><oa>free_for_read</oa><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><citedby>FETCH-LOGICAL-c362t-92e203cd978b77787ac7d4f6a1bb6bafee5066b55a60da00c22a0cce0962bc833</citedby><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-c362t-92e203cd978b77787ac7d4f6a1bb6bafee5066b55a60da00c22a0cce0962bc833</cites><orcidid>0000-0002-2615-672X ; 0000-0002-7630-8226 ; 0000-0002-9807-8433 ; 0000-0003-1197-441X</orcidid></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><linktohtml>$$Uhttps://pubs.aip.org/apl/article-lookup/doi/10.1063/1.5029346$$EHTML$$P50$$Gscitation$$H</linktohtml><link.rule.ids>314,776,780,790,4498,27901,27902,76126</link.rule.ids></links><search><creatorcontrib>Macco, B.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Bivour, M.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Deijkers, J. H.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Basuvalingam, S. B.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Black, L. E.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Melskens, J.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>van de Loo, B. W. H.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Berghuis, W. J. H.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Hermle, M.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kessels, W. M. M. (Erwin)</creatorcontrib><title>Effective passivation of silicon surfaces by ultrathin atomic-layer deposited niobium oxide</title><title>Applied physics letters</title><description>This letter reports on effective surface passivation of n-type crystalline silicon by ultrathin niobium oxide (Nb2O5) films prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subjected to a forming gas anneal at 300 °C. A champion recombination parameter J0 of 20 fA/cm2 and a surface recombination velocity Seff of 4.8 cm/s have been achieved for ultrathin films of 1 nm. The surface pretreatment was found to have a strong impact on the passivation. Good passivation can be achieved on both HF-treated c-Si surfaces and c-Si surfaces with a wet-chemically grown interfacial silicon oxide layer. On HF-treated surfaces, a minimum film thickness of 3 nm is required to achieve a high level of surface passivation, whereas the use of a wet chemically-grown interfacial oxide enables excellent passivation even for Nb2O5 films of only 1 nm. This discrepancy in passivation between both surface types is attributed to differences in the formation and stoichiometry of interfacial silicon oxide, resulting in different levels of chemical passivation. On both surface types, the high level of passivation of ALD Nb2O5 is aided by field-effect passivation originating from a high fixed negative charge density of 1–2 × 1012 cm−3. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the passivation level provided by 1 nm of Nb2O5 can be further enhanced through light-soaking. Finally, initial explorations show that a low contact resistivity can be obtained using Nb2O5-based contacts. Together, these properties make ALD Nb2O5 a highly interesting building block for high-efficiency c-Si solar cells.</description><subject>Applied physics</subject><subject>Atomic layer epitaxy</subject><subject>Charge density</subject><subject>Film thickness</subject><subject>Levels</subject><subject>Niobium oxides</subject><subject>Organic chemistry</subject><subject>Passivity</subject><subject>Photovoltaic cells</subject><subject>Pretreatment</subject><subject>Silicon</subject><subject>Silicon oxides</subject><subject>Solar cells</subject><subject>Stoichiometry</subject><subject>Thin films</subject><issn>0003-6951</issn><issn>1077-3118</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2018</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><recordid>eNp90E1LAzEQBuAgCtbqwX8Q8KSwdZJ0k92jlPoBBS968hCSbIIp282aZIv9965W9CB4mhl4eAdehM4JzAhwdk1mJdCazfkBmhAQomCEVIdoAgCs4HVJjtFJSuvxLCljE_SydM6a7LcW9yolv1XZhw4Hh5NvvRnXNESnjE1Y7_DQ5qjyq--wymHjTdGqnY24sX1IPtsGdz5oP2xwePeNPUVHTrXJnn3PKXq-XT4t7ovV493D4mZVGMZpLmpqKTDT1KLSQohKKCOaueOKaM21ctaWwLkuS8WhUQCGUgXGWKg51aZibIou9rl9DG-DTVmuwxC78aWkUFWsnAuoRnW5VyaGlKJ1so9-o-JOEpCf3Ukiv7sb7dXeJuPzVyM_eBviL5R94_7Df5M_ADjifl0</recordid><startdate>20180611</startdate><enddate>20180611</enddate><creator>Macco, B.</creator><creator>Bivour, M.</creator><creator>Deijkers, J. H.</creator><creator>Basuvalingam, S. B.</creator><creator>Black, L. E.</creator><creator>Melskens, J.</creator><creator>van de Loo, B. W. H.</creator><creator>Berghuis, W. J. H.</creator><creator>Hermle, M.</creator><creator>Kessels, W. M. M. (Erwin)</creator><general>American Institute of Physics</general><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope><scope>8FD</scope><scope>H8D</scope><scope>L7M</scope><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2615-672X</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7630-8226</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9807-8433</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1197-441X</orcidid></search><sort><creationdate>20180611</creationdate><title>Effective passivation of silicon surfaces by ultrathin atomic-layer deposited niobium oxide</title><author>Macco, B. ; Bivour, M. ; Deijkers, J. H. ; Basuvalingam, S. B. ; Black, L. E. ; Melskens, J. ; van de Loo, B. W. H. ; Berghuis, W. J. H. ; Hermle, M. ; Kessels, W. M. M. (Erwin)</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c362t-92e203cd978b77787ac7d4f6a1bb6bafee5066b55a60da00c22a0cce0962bc833</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2018</creationdate><topic>Applied physics</topic><topic>Atomic layer epitaxy</topic><topic>Charge density</topic><topic>Film thickness</topic><topic>Levels</topic><topic>Niobium oxides</topic><topic>Organic chemistry</topic><topic>Passivity</topic><topic>Photovoltaic cells</topic><topic>Pretreatment</topic><topic>Silicon</topic><topic>Silicon oxides</topic><topic>Solar cells</topic><topic>Stoichiometry</topic><topic>Thin films</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Macco, B.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Bivour, M.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Deijkers, J. H.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Basuvalingam, S. B.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Black, L. E.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Melskens, J.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>van de Loo, B. W. H.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Berghuis, W. J. H.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Hermle, M.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kessels, W. M. M. (Erwin)</creatorcontrib><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>Technology Research Database</collection><collection>Aerospace Database</collection><collection>Advanced Technologies Database with Aerospace</collection><jtitle>Applied physics letters</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Macco, B.</au><au>Bivour, M.</au><au>Deijkers, J. H.</au><au>Basuvalingam, S. B.</au><au>Black, L. E.</au><au>Melskens, J.</au><au>van de Loo, B. W. H.</au><au>Berghuis, W. J. H.</au><au>Hermle, M.</au><au>Kessels, W. M. M. (Erwin)</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Effective passivation of silicon surfaces by ultrathin atomic-layer deposited niobium oxide</atitle><jtitle>Applied physics letters</jtitle><date>2018-06-11</date><risdate>2018</risdate><volume>112</volume><issue>24</issue><issn>0003-6951</issn><eissn>1077-3118</eissn><coden>APPLAB</coden><abstract>This letter reports on effective surface passivation of n-type crystalline silicon by ultrathin niobium oxide (Nb2O5) films prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subjected to a forming gas anneal at 300 °C. A champion recombination parameter J0 of 20 fA/cm2 and a surface recombination velocity Seff of 4.8 cm/s have been achieved for ultrathin films of 1 nm. The surface pretreatment was found to have a strong impact on the passivation. Good passivation can be achieved on both HF-treated c-Si surfaces and c-Si surfaces with a wet-chemically grown interfacial silicon oxide layer. On HF-treated surfaces, a minimum film thickness of 3 nm is required to achieve a high level of surface passivation, whereas the use of a wet chemically-grown interfacial oxide enables excellent passivation even for Nb2O5 films of only 1 nm. This discrepancy in passivation between both surface types is attributed to differences in the formation and stoichiometry of interfacial silicon oxide, resulting in different levels of chemical passivation. On both surface types, the high level of passivation of ALD Nb2O5 is aided by field-effect passivation originating from a high fixed negative charge density of 1–2 × 1012 cm−3. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the passivation level provided by 1 nm of Nb2O5 can be further enhanced through light-soaking. Finally, initial explorations show that a low contact resistivity can be obtained using Nb2O5-based contacts. Together, these properties make ALD Nb2O5 a highly interesting building block for high-efficiency c-Si solar cells.</abstract><cop>Melville</cop><pub>American Institute of Physics</pub><doi>10.1063/1.5029346</doi><tpages>4</tpages><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2615-672X</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7630-8226</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9807-8433</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1197-441X</orcidid><oa>free_for_read</oa></addata></record> |
fulltext | fulltext |
identifier | ISSN: 0003-6951 |
ispartof | Applied physics letters, 2018-06, Vol.112 (24) |
issn | 0003-6951 1077-3118 |
language | eng |
recordid | cdi_proquest_journals_2088354708 |
source | AIP Journals Complete; Alma/SFX Local Collection |
subjects | Applied physics Atomic layer epitaxy Charge density Film thickness Levels Niobium oxides Organic chemistry Passivity Photovoltaic cells Pretreatment Silicon Silicon oxides Solar cells Stoichiometry Thin films |
title | Effective passivation of silicon surfaces by ultrathin atomic-layer deposited niobium oxide |
url | https://sfx.bib-bvb.de/sfx_tum?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2025-02-12T18%3A26%3A33IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-proquest_cross&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Effective%20passivation%20of%20silicon%20surfaces%20by%20ultrathin%20atomic-layer%20deposited%20niobium%20oxide&rft.jtitle=Applied%20physics%20letters&rft.au=Macco,%20B.&rft.date=2018-06-11&rft.volume=112&rft.issue=24&rft.issn=0003-6951&rft.eissn=1077-3118&rft.coden=APPLAB&rft_id=info:doi/10.1063/1.5029346&rft_dat=%3Cproquest_cross%3E2088354708%3C/proquest_cross%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&disable_directlink=true&sfx.directlink=off&sfx.report_link=0&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_pqid=2088354708&rft_id=info:pmid/&rfr_iscdi=true |