Deposition pressure dependent structural and optoelectronic properties of ex-situ boron-doped poly-Si/SiOx passivating contacts based on sputtered silicon

Abstract

Among common methods to form polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films for passivating-contact solar cells, physical vapor deposition, in particular sputtering, is the safest one as it does not require any toxic gaseous precursors. One of the critical parameters to control the properties of sputtered silicon films is their deposition pressure. In this work, structural and optoelectronic characteristics of ex-situ boron-doped poly-Si/SiOx passivating contacts, formed from sputtered intrinsic amorphous silicon (a-Si) deposited at different pressures on top of SiOx/c-Si substrates and subjected to a high-temperature boron diffusion step, are investigated. The deposition rate and density of the as..