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Review on the prospects for the use of Al2O3 for high-efficiency solar cells
Erwin Kessels
Department of Applied [email protected]
Silicon surface passivation
16
18
20
22S
eff,backside=
103 cm/s
10 cm/s
Sola
r cell
effic
iency (
%)
Zhao et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 1991 (1998).Green et al., Prog. Photovoltaics 17, 85 (2009).
Record-efficiency c-Si solar cell (25.0%) Importance of rear-side passivation
Aberle, Prog. Photovolt: Res. Appl. 8, 473 (2008).
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
10 100 100010
12
14
16
107 cm/s
105 cm/s
Sola
r cell
effic
iency (
%)
Solar cell thickness (µm)
Electronic losses at c-Si surface expressed in surface recombination velocity Seff
2/35
Collaborations & Acknowledgments
Dr. Bram Hoex (now: SERIS, Singapore) Gijs Dingemans (graduation Dec. 2011)
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
Dr. Bram Hoex (now: SERIS, Singapore) Gijs Dingemans (graduation Dec. 2011)
PV institutes Solar cells
Depositionequipment
Chemicals
3/35
Outline – Si surface passivation by Al2O3
1. Introduction• What are the properties of Al2O3?• What makes Al2O3 so interesting?• How does Al2O3 perform in solar cells?
2. On the passivation mechanism • Field-effect or chemical passivation - What is more important? • What are the underlying microscopic mechanisms?
3. Deposition methods & processing aspects 3. Deposition methods & processing aspects • What are the choices for film synthesis?• Optimum conditions in terms of temperature, anneal, thickness, etc.?• Do different methods yield different (key) properties?
4. Upscaling• Market push or pull?• Choice in precursors and precursor quality? • Availability of high-volume-manufacturing equipment?
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels 4/35
Al2O3 thin film properties
• Can be synthesized by vapor-phase deposition methods (ALD, PECVD, PVD)
• Wide band gap amorphous dielectric, fully transparent for visible light
• Refractive index (at 2 eV) n = ~1.65
• High thermal stability (Tcrystallization >800 ºC) and good stability against UV radiation
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
Refractive
index n
Extinction
coefficient k
J.A. Woollam Co.
Al2O3
c-Si
SiOx1-2 nm
• Can contain H, mostly as –OH groups
• When deposited on H-terminated c-Si: 1-2 nm interfacial SiOx is present between Al2O3 and Si
• Al2O3 is not completely new to c-Si: early work by Hezel and Jaeger (1989) already showed its unique attributesHezel and Jaeger, J. Electrochem. Soc. 136, 518 (1989).
TEMTEM
0 2 4 6 8 100.0
Photon energy (eV)
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels 5/35
Al2O3 thin film properties
As-deposited Al2O3
(200 ºC)Annealed Al2O3
(400 ºC in N2, 10 min.)
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
Al2O3 Al2O3
1.2 nm SiOx 1.5 nm SiOx
c-Si c-Si
Hoex et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 042112 (2006).6/35
Al2O3 thin film properties
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels Hezel and Jaeger, J. Electrochem. Soc. 136, 518 (1989).7/35
Excellent passivation of n, p and p+ Si surfacesE
ffe
ctive
Su
rfa
ce
Re
co
mb
ina
tio
n
Se
ff (
cm
/s)
100
1-2 Ωcm FZ p-Si
SiNx
Em
itte
r S
atu
ratio
n C
urr
en
t D
en
sity
J0
e (
fA/c
m2)
102
103SiN
x
SiO2 (after 2 years storage)
a-Si/SiNx
Low Seff and weak-injection dependence (p-type)
Stable passivation of highly doped p+ Si
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
Injection Density ∆n (cm-3
)
1012 1013 1014 1015
Eff
ective
Su
rfa
ce
Re
co
mb
ina
tio
n
Ve
locity S
1
10a-Si
Al2O3
Hoex et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 042112 (2006).
Hoex et al., J. Appl. Phys. 104, 044903 (2008).Hoex et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 112107 (2007).
Sheet resistance (Ω/sq)
0 50 100 150 200 250Em
itte
r S
atu
ratio
n C
urr
en
t D
en
sity
100
101SiO
2 (after fabrication)
ALD-Al2O
3
a-Si/SiNx
p+ Si emitter
8/35
(Record) efficiencies for c-Si solar cells with atomic-layer-deposited (ALD) Al2O3
Front metal grid Random pyramids
n+ emitterN
P p -Si base
SiNx
n+ emitter
p-Si base
Front metal grid Random pyramids
n+ emitterN
P p -Si base
SiNx
n+ emitter
p-Si base
Rear surface passivationPassivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC)
B-diffussed front emitter passivationPassivated Emitter Rear Locally-diffused (PERL)
Point contacts
Aluminium
Al O or Al O /SiO stack2 3 2 3 x
Point contacts
Aluminium
Al O or Al O /SiO stack2 3 2 3 x
• p-type Si base material
• Excellent rear surface passivation, no parasitic shunting
• Efficiency: 20.6% (now: 21.5%)Schmidt et al., Prog. Photovolt. Res. Appl. 16, 461 (2008).Saint-Cast et al., IEEE Electron Device Lett. 31, 695 (2010)
• n-type Si base material
• Excellent p+ emitter passivationbecause of negative fixed charge
• Efficiency: 23.2% (now: 23.5%)Benick et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 253504 (2008).Benick et al., 35th IEEE PVSC (2010), in press.
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels 9/35
Overview of c-Si solar cells with Al2O3
Cell type Front Rear Details Efficiency Reference
p-type PERC ALD Al2O3 + SiOx 4 cm2, PVD Al, photolithography 21.4% Schmidt, ISFH
p-type PERC PVD Al2O3 4 cm2, PVD Al, photolithography 20.1% Schmidt, ISFH
p-type PERC (SiO2 +) ALD Al2O3 + a-SiNx:H 7.1 cm2, printed Al, LFC 20.1% Sun, ITRI
p-type PERC ALD Al2O3 + SiOx 4 cm2, PVD Al, LFC 21.3% Saint-Cast, Fraunhofer ISE
p-type PERC PECVD Al2O3 + (SiOx) 4 cm2, PVD Al, LFC 21.5% Saint-Cast, Fraunhofer ISE
p-type PERC ALD Al2O3 + a-SiNx:H ALD Al2O3 + a-SiNx:H 4 cm2, 43 µm thick, Al2O3 tunnel 19.1% Petermann, ISFH
p-type PERC ALD Al2O3 + a-SiNx:H 4 cm2, EFG Si 18.1% Ebser, Univ. Konstanz
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
Note: incomplete list; not all results (or materials used) disclosed10/35
p-type PERC ALD Al2O3 + a-SiNx:H 156.25 cm2, screen-printed 19.0% Gatz, ISFH
n-type PERT ALD Al2O3 + a-SiNx:H 4 cm2, B-p+ emitter, fired contacts 20.8% Richter, Fraunhofer ISE
n-type PERL ALD Al2O3 + a-SiNx:H 4 cm2, B-p+ emitter 23.5% Benick, Fraunhofer ISE
n-type PERL ALD Al2O3 + a-SiNx:H 4 cm2, B-p+ emitter, PassDop process 22.4% Suwito, Fraunhofer ISE
n-type BJ 4 cm2, B-p+ emitter at rear 19.4% Benick, Fraunhofer ISE
n-type BJBC ALD Al2O3 + a-SiNx:H 4 cm2, Al-p+ emitter at rear 19.0% Bock, ISFH
n-type EWT ALD Al2O3 + a-SiNx:H ALD Al2O3 + a-SiNx:H 4 cm2, B-p+ emitter 21.6% Kiefer, ISFH
… … … … … …
… … … … … …
Outline – Si surface passivation by Al2O3
1. Introduction• What are the properties of Al2O3?• What makes Al2O3 so interesting?• How does Al2O3 perform in solar cells?
2. On the passivation mechanism • Field-effect or chemical passivation - What is more important? • What are the underlying microscopic mechanisms?
3. Deposition methods & processing aspects 3. Deposition methods & processing aspects • What are the choices for film synthesis?• Optimum conditions in terms of temperature, anneal, thickness, etc.?• Do different methods yield different (key) properties?
4. Upscaling• Market push or pull?• Choice in precursors and precursor quality? • Availability of high-volume-manufacturing equipment?
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels 4/35
Field-effect passivation: fixed charge density Qf
+
5 - 10 kV
Tungsten
needle
Ionization of
air
molecules
by electric
field
-
Deposition of + or – corona charges on passivation layer
200
300
400
500
12 -2
Al2O
3
eff,m
ax (
cm
/s)
a-SiNx:H
Qf= +3x10
12 cm
-2
PECVD SiOx
Qf= +1x10
12 cm
-2
Corona charging experiments(corroborated by C-V and SHG experiments)
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
• Al2O3 is unique as it contains a very high density of negative fixed charge Qf
(Qf up to 1013 cm-2); fixed charge is located at the Si/Al2O3 interface
• Al2O3 leads also to a high level of chemical passivation (Qcorona + Qfixed = 0)
Dingemans et al., Electrochem. Solid State Lett. 14, H1 (2011).
10
V
+- Mesh
field
Al2O3
Al2O3
c-Si-8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10
0
100
200Q
f= − − − −5x10
12 cm
-2
Se
ff,m
ax
Corona charge density (1012
cm-2)
Hoex et al., J. Appl. Phys. 104, 044903 (2008).11/35
Field-effect passivation vs. chemical passivation fixed charge density Qf and defect density Dit
C-V measurements
1011
(cm
-2)
annealed Al2O
3
1011
1012
1013
Thermal SiO2
Po
sitiv
e Q
f (c
m-2)
a-SiNx:H
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
1010
1011
1012
1013
1013
1012
Thermal ALD-O3
Plasma ALD
Thermal ALD-H2O
Ne
gative Q
f (cm
Dit (eV
-1 cm
-2)
Dingemans et al., 35th IEEE PVSC (2010);
• Al2O3 is unique as it contains a very high density of negative fixed charge Qf
(Qf up to 1013 cm-2); fixed charge is located at the Si/Al2O3 interface
• Al2O3 leads also to a high level of chemical passivation (Dit < 1011 cm-2 eV-1)
Dingemans et al., Electrochem. Solid State Lett. 14, H1 (2011).12/35
-1
0
1
annealed
(400 oC, N
2)
ED
MR
sp
ectr
um
∆V
(10
-4 V
)
as-deposited
On the chemical passivation induced by Al2O3
Electrically-detected magnetic resonance
Al2O3
SiOx1-2 nm
TEM image Si/Al2O3 interface
3220 3240 3260 3280 3300 3320
-2
ED
MR
sp
ectr
um
Magnetic field (G)
T=4.5K, 180 mW, 9.16 GHz
H II [011]
• Si/Al2O3 interface is basically Si/SiO2-like due to 1-2 nm interfacial SiOx
• Si dangling-bond-type center Pb0 is prominent defect (Si≡≡≡≡Si)
• Defects “disappear” upon annealing at 400 ºC in N2
Dingemans et al., Appl. Phys. Lett 97, 152106 (2010)./Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
c-Si
13/35
On the chemical passivation induced by Al2O3
1019
1020
1021
2x1021
3x1021
4x1021
as-deposited
annealed
(400 oC, N
2)
SiSiO2
D c
on
ce
ntr
atio
n (
cm
-3)
Al2O
3:D
SIMS on deuterated Al2O3/SiO2/Si stackTEM image Si/Al2O3 interface
Deuterated Al2O3
SiO70 nmSiO
• Defects “disappear” upon annealing at 400 ºC in N2
• Hydrogen is released from the Al2O3 film and diffuses to the Si interface to passivate dangling bond defects
0 1 2 3 410
17
1018
10as-deposited
D c
on
ce
ntr
atio
n (
cm
Sputtering time (a.u)
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels Dingemans et al., Appl. Phys. Lett 97, 152106 (2010).
c-Si
SiO2SiO2
14/35
Outline – Si surface passivation by Al2O3
1. Introduction• What are the properties of Al2O3?• What makes Al2O3 so interesting?• How does Al2O3 perform in solar cells?
2. On the passivation mechanism • Field-effect or chemical passivation - What is more important? • What are the underlying microscopic mechanisms?
3. Deposition methods & processing aspects 3. Deposition methods & processing aspects • What are the choices for film synthesis?• Optimum conditions in terms of temperature, anneal, thickness, etc.?• Do different methods yield different (key) properties?
4. Upscaling• Market push or pull?• Choice in precursors and precursor quality? • Availability of high-volume-manufacturing equipment?
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels 4/35
Deposition of Al2O3 films
1. Pyrolysis• Al(O-iPr)3
2. Atomic layer deposition (ALD)• Thermal ALD – Al(CH3)3 & H2O
• Thermal ALD – Al(CH3)3 & O3
• Plasma ALD - Al(CH ) & O plasma
Hezel & Jaeger
1989
IMEC & TU/e
2005
• Plasma ALD - Al(CH3)3 & O2 plasma
3. Plasma-enhanced CVD• Al(CH3)3 & O2 or CO2
4. Physical vapor deposition (PVD)• Al-target & Ar-O2 plasma
Tokyo Tech
2008
ANU
2009
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels 15/35
ALD of Al2O3 from Al(CH3)3 & H2O
ALD of Al2O3
from Al(CH3)3 and H2O
3
6
9
12
15
O3 film
th
ickn
ess (
nm
)
~1 Å/cycle
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
ALD is an CVD-like process in which films are deposited by repeating cycles each yielding a submonolayer of film and with excellent uniformity & conformality
1 ALD cycle consists of 4 steps: 1) Precursor A [Al(CH3)3] exposure
2) Reactor purge
3) Reactant B [H2O/O3/O2 plasma] exposure
4) Reactor purge
0 25 50 75 100 125 1500
Al 2
O
Number of ALD cycles
Van Hemmen et al, J. Electrochem. Soc. 154, G165 (2007).16/35
ALD of Al2O3 from Al(CH3)3 & H2O
Ultrathin high quality high-k gate oxides Excellent conformality on 3D topologies
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
ALD is an CVD-like process in which films are deposited by repeating cycles each yielding a submonolayer of film and with excellent uniformity & conformality
1 ALD cycle consists of 4 steps: 1) Precursor A [Al(CH3)3] exposure
2) Reactor purge
3) Reactant B [H2O/O3/O2 plasma] exposure
4) Reactor purge
Van Hemmen et al, J. Electrochem. Soc. 154, G165 (2007).16/35
ALD of Al2O3 from Al(CH3)3 & H2O
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
ALD is an CVD-like process in which films are deposited by repeating cycles each yielding a submonolayer of film and with excellent uniformity & conformality
1 ALD cycle consists of 4 steps: 1) Precursor [Al(CH3)3] exposure
2) Reactor purge
3) Reactant [H2O/O3/O2 plasma] exposure
4) Reactor purge
Van Hemmen et al, J. Electrochem. Soc. 154, G165 (2007).17/35
Plasma ALD Al2O3 vs. thermal ALD Al2O3:Deposition temperature
• Growth rate (“growth per cycle” or GPC) is higher for plasma-assisted ALD than for thermal ALD.
• Growth rate decreases with increasing deposition temperature. 200 ºC optimum between film density and growth rate.
• Best passivation properties (lowest
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
• Best passivation properties (lowest Seff) obtained for 150 -200 ºC.
• Post-deposition anneal is key for surface passivation
Dingemans et al., Electrochem. Solid State Lett. 13, H76 (2010)18/35
Plasma ALD Al2O3 vs. thermal ALD Al2O3:Annealing & firing
101
102
103
Se
ff,m
ax (
cm
/s)
Thermal ALD Al2O
3
n-type p-type
Plasma ALD Al2O
3
n-type p-type
a) b)
After annealat 400 ºC
After firingat ~800 ºC
5 nm thermal and plasma ALD Al2O3As-dep.
200 250 300 350 400 450 500
100
Anneal temperature (oC)
Thermal Plasma Thermal Plasma
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
2000 µs100
lifetime mapping by µ-PCD
Dingemans et al., J. Appl. Phys. 106, 114109 (2009)Dingemans et al., Phys. Status Solidi RRL 4, 10 (2010)
• Optimum anneal temperature is within the range 350 – 450 ºC
• Films can be ultrathin (~5 nm) and are still sufficiently firing stable
19/35
1019
1020
1021
2x1021
3x1021
4x1021 295 nm
(1) as-deposited
(2) 400oC anneal
(3) "fired" (800oC anneal)
SiSiO2
D c
on
ce
ntr
atio
n (
cm
-3)
Al2O
3:D
(1)
(2)
(3)
(2)
(1)
100 nm
On the chemical passivation induced by Al2O3
SIMS on deuterated Al2O3/SiO2/Si stackTEM image Si/Al2O3 interface
Deuterated Al2O3
SiO270 nmSiO
1 2 3 4
1017
1018
10
D c
on
ce
ntr
atio
n (
cm
Sputtering time (a.u)
• Defects “disappear” upon annealing at 400 ºC in N2
• Hydrogen is released from the Al2O3 film and diffuses to the Si interface to passivate dangling bond defects
• Firing leads to significant out-diffusion of hydrogen, interface remains reasonably passivated.
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels Dingemans et al., Appl. Phys. Lett 97, 152106 (2010).
c-Si
SiO2
14/35
H2 and H2O effusion from Al2O3
2
3
4
5
6100°C
H e
ffu
sio
n r
ate
dN
/dt
(10
18
cm
-3s
-1)
Tdep
= 50°C
2
3
4
5
O e
ffu
sio
n r
ate
dN
/dt (a
.u.)
100°C
Tdep
= 50°C
300°C
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
200 400 600 800 10000
1
2
400°C
300°C 200°C
H e
ffu
sio
n r
ate
d
Temperature T [°C]
200 400 600 800 1000
0
1
Temperature T [°C]H
2O
effu
sio
n r
ate
d
100°C
400°C
200°C
Dingemans et al., to be published (2011)
• Annealing: effusion of H2 and H2O depends heavily on deposition temperature: balance between film mass density and as-deposited H-content
• Al2O3 deposited at 200 ºC can still release sufficient H during firing temperatures
20/35
Plasma ALD Al2O3 vs. thermal ALD Al2O3:Thickness dependence & fixed charge density
40
60
80
100
120
Qf =
12 -2
Qf =
-5x1012
cm-2
Thermal ALD
Seff
,max
(cm
/s)
Plasma ALD1
Thermal ALD
No
rma
lized
life
tim
e
Plasma ALD
• Passivation decreases for <5 nm (plasma ALD) and <10 nm (thermal ALD)
• Fixed charge density Qf is lower for thermal ALD than for plasma ALD Al2O3
• Fixed charge density Qf is located at the Si/SiOx –Al2O3 interface
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
0
20 -3x10
12 cm
-2
SCorona charge density (10
12 cm
-2)
0 5 10 15 20 25 300.1
No
rma
lized
life
tim
e
Al2O
3 thickness (nm)
Dingemans et al., J. Appl. Phys. 106, 114109 (2009)Dingemans et al., Phys. Status Solidi RRL 4, 10 (2010)21/35
Plasma ALD Al2O3 vs. thermal ALD Al2O3:Field-effect vs. chemical passivation
Fixed charge density Qf and interface state density Dit from C-V measurements
Plasma ALD 4.2×1012 ~1013 5.8×1012 9.6×1010
Qf
(cm-2)Qf
(cm-2)Dit
(eV-1cm-2)Dit
(eV-1cm-2)
Before anneal After anneal
• Fixed charge density Qf is lower for thermal-H2O ALD than for plasma ALD Al2O3
• (Very) good chemical passivation for (as-deposited) thermal-H2O ALD Al2O3
• Thermal-O3 ALD Al2O3 has similar (excellent) properties than plasma ALD Al2O3
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
Plasma ALD 4.2×1012 ~1013 5.8×1012 9.6×1010
Thermal ALD-H2O 1.3×1011 2.9×1011 2.5×1012 1.2×1011
Thermal ALD-O3 5.3×1012 ~1013 3.4×1012 1.0×1011
Dingemans et al., 35th IEEE PVSC (2010); Dingemans et al., Electrochem. Solid State Lett. 14, H1 (2011).22/35
PECVD of Al2O3 from Al(CH3)3 and O2
50
100
150
Plasma ALD
PECVD
Se
ff,m
ax (
cm
/s)
1
10
2.2 ΩΩΩΩ cm
p-type
3.5 ΩΩΩΩ cm
n-type
Effe
ctive life
tim
e (
ms) 0.8 cm/s
2.9 cm/s
14 cm/s
Dingemans et al., Electrochem. Solid State Lett. 13, H76 (2010)
• Also PECVD Al2O3 provide excellent passivation, even at a rate of 30 nm/min
• PECVD Al2O3 contains a high negative fixed charge density (Qf = 6.5x1012 cm-2)
• Passivation by Al2O3 is very robust and does not require very high quality films
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
0 2 4 6 8 10
Corona charge density (1012
cm-2)
1013
1014
1015
1016
1
1.0 ΩΩΩΩ cm
p-type
Effe
ctive life
tim
e (
ms)
Injection level (cm-3)
23/35
PECVD of Al2O3 from Al(CH3)3 and O2
Deposition temperature
• Growth rate decreases with increasing deposition temperature
• Film density increases with increasing deposition temperature.
• Best passivation properties (lowest Seff) obtained for 200 -300 ºC.
• Post-deposition anneal is key for
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
• Post-deposition anneal is key for surface passivation
Dingemans et al., Electrochem. Solid State Lett. 13, H76 (2010)24/35
Outline – Si surface passivation by Al2O3
1. Introduction• What are the properties of Al2O3?• What makes Al2O3 so interesting?• How does Al2O3 perform in solar cells?
2. On the passivation mechanism • Field-effect or chemical passivation - What is more important? • What are the underlying microscopic mechanisms?
3. Deposition methods & processing aspects 3. Deposition methods & processing aspects • What are the choices for film synthesis?• Optimum conditions in terms of temperature, anneal, thickness, etc.?• Do different methods yield different (key) properties?
4. Upscaling• Market push or pull?• Choice in precursors and precursor quality? • Availability of high-volume-manufacturing equipment?
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels 4/35
Precursor quality and precursor alternatives
H3C Al
CH3
CH3
H3C Al
CH3
O
CH3
H3C
Al(CH3)2(OiPr) – “DMAI”
Non-pyrophoric
Al(CH3)3 – “TMA”Solar grade
4
6
8
10
p-type Si
Plasma ALD
semiconductor grade TMA
solar grade TMA
Thermal ALD
semiconductor grade TMA
solar grade TMA
eff,m
ax
(cm
/s)
10
Eff
ective life
tim
e (
ms)
Seff,max = 7.2 cm/s
Seff,max = 3.4 cm/s
• Lower purity “solar grade” Al(CH3)3 provides similar high level of surface passivation as semiconductor grade Al(CH3)3
• Non-pyrophoric Al-precursors provide good and “safe” alternative for Al(CH3)3
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
0 5 10 15 200
2
4
Se
ff,m
ax
Al2O
3 film thickness (nm)
n-type Si
1014
1015
1016
1
n-type (3.5 Ω cm)
p-type (2.5 Ω cm)
Eff
ective life
tim
e (
ms)
Minority carrier density (cm-3)
Seff,max = 7.2 cm/s
Dingemans and Kessels, 25th EU-PVSEC (2010). 25/35
High-volume manufacturing (HVM) equipment
Batch ALD In-line spatial ALD In-line PECVD
www.solaytec.com
www.levitech.nl
www.asm.com
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
www.beneq.com
www.roth-rau.de
www.generalplasma.com
26/35
High-volume manufacturing (HVM) equipment
Photon International March 2011
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels 27/35
HVM equipment: Batch ALD
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels www.beneq.com
• 500 wafers/boat with 4 boats leads to nominal throughput of 3200 wafers/hr
• 4 s cycle time using Al(CH3)3 and O3
• 2 wafers per slot placed front-to-front to avoid double-side deposition (textured wafersmight be challenging)
28/35
HVM equipment: In-line spatial ALD (Levitrack)
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
• Levitrack: wafers are floating in a linear, atmospheric N2 gas track
• Al(CH3)3 and H2O injection from single side and separated by N2 curtain
• Single side deposition and only deposition at the wafers (no reactor cleaning)
• Speed of ~0.2 m/s leads to nominal throughput of 3600 wafers/hour
• 1 system shipped to European solar cell manufacturer
Granneman et al., 25th EU-PVSEC (2010). 29/35
HVM equipment: In-line spatial ALD (Levitrack)
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HVM equipment: In-line spatial ALD (Levitrack)
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels 30/35
HVM equipment: In-line spatial ALD (Levitrack)
10
100
Plasma ALD
reference
Se
ff,m
ax
(cm
/s)
Annealed
(400 oC, N )
After firing at ~850 oC
2 Ohm cm p-type FZ c-Si samples
1
10
Effe
ctive life
tim
e (
ms) Annealed, 1 min.
Annealed, 10 min.
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
0 5 10 15 20 251
Al2O
3 film thickness (nm)
(400 C, N2)
• High–throughput ALD yields similar high level of passivation as plasma ALD Al2O3
• Passivation decreases slightly for < 10 nm as typical for thermal ALD Al2O3
• High–throughput ALD Al2O3 (single layer) is sufficiently thermally stable against firing at ~850 ºC
1013
1014
1015
1016
0.1
400 oC, N
2
Effe
ctive life
tim
e (
ms)
Injection level (cm-3)
Dingemans and Kessels, 25th EU-PVSEC (2010). 31/35
HVM equipment: In-line spatial ALD
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
• Reactive gas bearing; wafers are floating and moved back-and-forth
• Process development (100 wafers/hr) and high-volume (3000 wafers/hr) tool
• For high-volume tool: several systems in parallel (not a long linear track)
• 4 systems sold (IMEC, Fraunhofer ISE, 2 partners in Asia)
Werner et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 97, 162103 (2010). 32/35
HVM equipment: In-line PECVD
• PECVD based on MAiA®/SiNA® system with next generation plasma source
• Plasma: Al(CH3)3, N2O and Ar
• Stacks of 30 nm Al2O3 and 80 nm a-SiNx:H
• Nominal throughput 2476 wafers/hr
• Several systems upgraded for PECVD of Al2O3 in the field
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
www.roth-rau.de
• Al(CH3)3 chemical costs < 1 ct/cell and total CoO < 5 ct/layer
Sperlich et al., 25th EU-PVSEC (2010). 33/35
Summary – Si surface passivation by Al2O3
1. Al2O3 is a transparent, highly-stable, negative-charge dielectric
2. Al2O3 provides unique solutions for solar cells: rear surface passivationof p-type Si and p-type emitter passivation of n-type Si
3. Al2O3 leads to excellent chemical passivation (passivation of Si dangling bonds; Dit ~1011 cm-2eV-1), also when used in film stacks
4. Al2O3 can also induce an unique high level of field-effect passivationby negative fixed charges (Qf up to 1013 cm-2)
5. Al2O3 thickness < 10 nm, processing <425 ºC, sufficient firing stable
6. Excellent passivation can be obtained by various deposition methods providing choice between more chemical (thermal ALD-H2O) or more field-effect passivation (thermal ALD-O3, plasma ALD & PEVCD))
7. HVM equipment (ALD, PECVD, …) and processes under development
8. (Sufficiently) low cost-of-ownership, e.g. solar grade Al(CH3)3 and non-pyrophoric precursors can be used
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
More reading: www.phys.tue.nl/[email protected]/35
Acknowledgments
Dr. Peter Engelhart,
Stefan Bordihn,
Dr. David Rychtarik
Dr. Jörg Müller
And many others
Christophe Lachaud, Nicolas Blasco, Alain Madec
Plasma & Materials Processing group
/Applied Physics - Erwin Kessels
Dr. Ernst Granneman, Jaap Beijersbergen, Pascal Vermont
Dr. Jan Schmidt
Dr. Jan Benick, Dr. Stefan Glunz
Alain Madec
Dr. Dieter Pierreux
More reading: www.phys.tue.nl/[email protected]
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