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Accelerated interface defect removal in amorphous/crystalline silicon heterostructures using pulsed annealing and microwave heating

Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 182108 (2009); doi:10.1063/1.3255018

Published 6 November 2009

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T. F. Schulze, H. N. Beushausen, T. Hansmann, L. Korte, and B. Rech
Department Silicon Photovoltaics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Kekuléstraße 5, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
We present postdeposition annealing experiments on undoped amorphous-/n-type crystalline silicon [(i)a-Si:H/(n)c-Si/(i)a-Si:H] heterostructures used as precursors for a-Si:H/c-Si high-efficiency solar cells. Comparing conventional hotplate-heating with pulsed microwave-heating we obtain excellent interface passivation and demonstrate that microwave annealing proceeds significantly faster. The effect is ascribed to the details of microwave absorption, which selectively affects Si–H bonds and thus facilitates hydrogen bond reconfiguration needed for interface passivation. Infrared absorption spectroscopy shows that the main contribution to passivation is not stemming from bulk hydrogen reconfiguration. This suggests a hydrogen-rich interface layer, whose occurrence depends on a-Si:H deposition conditions, to be responsible for the fast annealing. ©2009 American Institute of Physics
History: Received 15 September 2009; accepted 6 October 2009; published 6 November 2009
Permalink: http://link.aip.org/link/?APPLAB/95/182108/1
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KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords
PACS
  • 73.40.Lq
    Electrical properties of other semiconductor-to-semiconductor contacts, p-n junctions, and heterojunctions
  • 61.72.Cc
    Kinetics of defect formation and annealing
  • 73.61.Cw
    Electrical properties of elemental semiconductors (thin films)
  • 78.30.Am
    Infrared and Raman spectra in elemental semiconductors and insulators
  • 78.66.Db
    Optical properties of elemental semiconductors and insulators (thin films)
  • 81.05.Cy
    Elemental semiconductors: fabrication, treatment, testing and analysis
  • 73.61.Jc
    Electrical properties of amorphous semiconductors; glasses (thin films)
  • 78.66.Jg
    Optical properties of amorphous semiconductors; glasses (thin films)
  • 81.05.Gc
    Amorphous semiconductors: fabrication, treatment testing and analysis
  • 81.15.Gh
    Chemical vapor deposition
  • 68.55.ag
    Semiconductor thin film nucleation and growth
  • 81.65.Rv
    Surface passivation
  • 73.50.Gr
    Charge carriers: generation, recombination, lifetime, trapping, mean free paths (thin films)
  • YEAR: 2009

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN:
0003-6951 (print)   1077-3118 (online)
Publisher:
AIP is a member of CrossRef AIP

REFERENCES (14)
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