Mist chemical vapor deposition of aluminum oxide thin films for rear surface passivation of crystalline silicon solar cells

We show the promising potential of mist chemical vapor deposition (CVD), a nonvacuum and solution-based technology, for the growth of an AlOx film as a rear surface passivation layer of crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells, supported by its safety, low process cost, and low energy consumption for the growth. The AlOx layer grown at 350 °C with aluminum acetylacetonate and ozone, without a successive annealing process, showed an excellent surface passivation property with the negative fixed charge density of about (1–2) × 1012 cm−2, as highlighted by the surface recombination velocity of ∼10 cm/s.