Application of rear-emitter silicon heterojunction solar cells with mitigation of the damage on the amorphous silicon by an atomic-layered ZnO

In this study, we evaluated an atomically layered ZnO film that interface damage on a silicon-based solar cell caused by the deterioration of the passivation layer cells due to sputtered plasma. The optical properties of atomically layered ZnO films showed an average value of over 90% from the visible to NIR range, and the reflectance in the solar cell was reduced as a function of the rear reflector. The carrier concentration of ZnO films (8.2 × 1019 cm−3) was better than that of ITO film (4.15 × 1020 cm−3), however, the hall mobility was for ZnO film (16.18 cm2/V-s) was low as compared with that of ITO film (49 cm2/V-s). We proved that ZnO film can reduce interface damage caused by sputtered plasma while maintaining the open-circuit voltage (VOC of 723 mV, FF: 76.4%) by measuring the carrier lifetime and Suns VOC. An efficiency of 22.6% was determined for silicon heterojunction solar cells; the ALD-ZnO film limited damage to the p-type silicon layer and subsequently, contributed toward reduced defect creation, resulting in an enhanced JSC. In addition, we showed that the mitigation of plasma damage through an atomic layer can be beneficial for the efficiency of sensitive optoelectronic devices.