Adhesion quality of evaporated aluminum layers on passivation layers for rear metallization of silicon solar cells

Abstract This paper characterizes the adhesion quality of evaporated aluminum rear metallization on rear passivation layers of silicon solar cells. A peel-test is introduced for adhesion rating and the adhesion quality between various Al and passivation layers on test structures is compared and discussed. The results show that the adhesion strongly varies with passivation type and evaporation parameters. Strong adherence is attributed to the formation of a strongly bonded, extended interphase layer. We derive factors that influence adhesion quality on our sample structures and find that an intimate contact between the layers and elevated temperatures are very important parameters. Additionally, a sufficiently high adhesion quality for an evaporated rear metallization of passivated emitter and rear cells (PERC) is achieved for all investigated passivation layers.