Low temperature silicon epitaxy using rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) for solar cell application

Epitaxial emitter formation offers the potential of improving the short wavelength response of silicon solar cells, reducing the saturation current density and increasing the open-circuit voltage. The realization of this potential will depend critically on cost effective epitaxial chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor and precise control of the emitter profile. This paper investigates the feasibility of using lower temperature for epitaxial growth of silicon on monocrystalline silicon wafers, using conventional gas precursors such as dichlorosilane and silane, by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD). Material and preliminary device analyses are performed to study the quality of the epitaxial emitter-substrate interface.