Investigation on the effect of process parameter on physical properties of RF-sputtered Mo–Ni thin films as a back contact thin-film solar cell

In this work, the influence of RF power and deposition time on the structural, chemical, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of sputtered Mo–Ni thin films grown on soda–lime glass by an RF magnetron sputtering system have been investigated. The XRD measurements revealed that the films’ crystallites preferred orientation were mostly in the (110) direction. The FESEM images showed that the resistivity of the Molybdenum thin films decreased as the substrate RF power increased, which was accompanied by an increment in grain size. At 200 W, the optimized molybdenum bilayer represented a resistivity of 12.2 Ω m and the reflectivity of 30%. Moreover, comparison finds the effect of deposition time on structural and electrical properties on Mo–Ni thin films. On the increment of deposition time, structural crystallinity and the resistivity of films improved significantly as a result of the introduction of the small amount of Ni atoms. Thus, Mo–Ni bilayer film, which has improved crystallinity, reflectance, and with reduced resistivity, can be used as a good back contact material of thin-film solar cells.