p+ Emitters on n-type c-Si using rapid thermal annealing of PECVD a-Si films and aluminum metallization

We present the development and characterization of n-type mono-Si photovoltaic cells with p+ emitters formed by the rapid thermal annealing of PECVD boron-doped amorphous silicon (a-Si) films. Aluminum metallization was deposited from evaporator and sputtering tool sources. The process yielded emitters of excellent uniformity (average non-uniformity of 4.4% over 40 samples) with sheet resistance ranging from 53 Ω/□ to 249 Ω/□ inversely dependent on the thickness of p+ film annealed. A reasonably-low post-anneal series resistance of 0.602 Ω*cm
²
suggests that all-aluminum metallization is sufficient for silicon photovoltaic cells of high efficiency.