Investigation on the surface passivation of intrinsic a-Si:H thin films prepared by inductively coupled plasma-chemical vapor deposition for heterojunction solar cell applications.

Intrinsic a-Si:H thin films, which can have passivation functions on the surface of crystalline Si, were deposited by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD). The properties of the films were investigated at deposition temperatures ranging from 50 to 400 degrees C. The Si--H stretching mode at 2000 cm(-1), which indicates good film quality, was found in the range of 150-400 degrees C, but the film quality was not good at deposition temperatures below 150 degrees C. The passviation quality was determined by measuring the effective carrier lifetime using the quasi-steady state photoconductance (QSS-PC) technique. Two, 5, 7.5 and 10 nm thick films were deposited at 150 degrees C and annealed at 200 degrees C for 1 hour. The carrier lifetime of these films was approximately 3 times higher than that observed before annealing. A p a-SiC:H/i a-Si:H/n c-Si hetero-structure solar cell with a 7.8% efficiency and approximately 85% quantum efficiency (QE) was obtained by inserting an intrinsic a-Si:H thin film (5 nm) between the interfaces. These results highlight the potential applications of a passivation layer to heterojunction solar cells.