Bragg reflector and laser fired back contact in a-Si:H/c-Si heterostructure solar cell

Abstract The amorphous/crystalline silicon (a-Si/c-Si) heterostructure has recently attracted new interest due to higher open circuit voltage V oc and low temperature fabrication processes. By reducing the wafer thickness all these characteristics become a necessity, together with the requirement of a back reflecting mirror, to obtain an effective optical confinement. To this aim dielectric mirrors can be adopted in the rear side of the solar cells, together with a local process of laser fired back Al contact. Taking advantage of a-Si/SiN x passivation properties of c-Si surface a Bragg reflector configuration can be formed on the rear side of the c-Si wafer by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) alternating several couples of a-Si/SiN x and choosing their thicknesses to maximize the reflectance inward the c-Si wafer in the NIR spectrum. In this work we have adopted this mirror on the rear side of an n-a-Si/i-a-Si/p-c-Si heterostructure solar cell to obtain a full low temperature process. The cell back contact has been ensured by an Al diffusion into the c-Si wafer promoted by Nd-YAG pulsed laser. The front cell contact has been enhanced by chromium silicide CrSi formation on top of the n-a-Si layer and ITO deposition followed by an Ag grid. A V oc of 681 mV and 94% of IQE at 1000 nm have been reached.