Dual-Function Electron-Conductive, Hole-Blocking Titanium Nitride Contacts for Efficient Silicon Solar Cells

Xinbo Yang; Wenzhu Liu; Michele de Bastiani; Thomas Allen; Jingxuan Kang; Hang Xu; Erkan Aydin; Lujia Xu; Qunyu Bi; Hoang Dang; Esra AlHabshi; Konstantinos Kotsovos; Ahmed AlSaggaf; Issam Gereige; Yimao Wan; Jun Peng; Christian Samundsett; Andres Cuevas; Stefaan De Wolf

doi:10.1016/j.joule.2019.03.008

Dual-Function Electron-Conductive, Hole-Blocking Titanium Nitride Contacts for Efficient Silicon Solar Cells

Xinbo Yang, Wenzhu Liu, Michele de Bastiani, Thomas Allen, Jingxuan Kang, Hang Xu, Erkan Aydin, Lujia Xu, Qunyu Bi, Hoang Dang, Esra AlHabshi, Konstantinos Kotsovos, Ahmed AlSaggaf, Issam Gereige, Yimao Wan, Jun Peng, Christian Samundsett, Andres Cuevas, Stefaan De Wolf

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

112 Scopus citations

Abstract

High-performance passivating contact is a prerequisite for high-efficiency crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. In this work, an electron-conductive, hole-blocking contact based on titanium nitride (TiN) deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering is presented. Quasi-metallic TiN combined with an ultrathin SiO2 passivation layer (SiO2/TiN) is demonstrated to be an effective electron-selective contact on c-Si, featuring a low-contact resistivity of 16.4 mΩ.cm2 and a tolerable recombination current parameter of ∼500 fA/cm2. By implementing the dual-function SiO2/TiN contact, which acts simultaneously as a surface passivating layer and metal electrode, an efficiency of 20% is achieved by an n-type c-Si solar cell with a simple structure. This work not only demonstrates a way to develop efficient n-type c-Si solar cells with dual-function metal nitride contacts at a low cost but also expands the pool of available carrier transport materials, from metal oxides to metal nitrides, for photovoltaic devices.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1314-1327
Number of pages	14
Journal	Joule
Volume	3
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2019.03.008
State	Published - Apr 16 2019

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10.1016/j.joule.2019.03.008

https://repository.kaust.edu.sa/bitstream/10754/631972/1/Revised%20Manuscript-Joule.pdf

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Yang, X., Liu, W., de Bastiani, M., Allen, T., Kang, J., Xu, H., Aydin, E., Xu, L., Bi, Q., Dang, H., AlHabshi, E., Kotsovos, K., AlSaggaf, A., Gereige, I., Wan, Y., Peng, J., Samundsett, C., Cuevas, A., & De Wolf, S. (2019). Dual-Function Electron-Conductive, Hole-Blocking Titanium Nitride Contacts for Efficient Silicon Solar Cells. Joule, 3(5), 1314-1327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2019.03.008

@article{634541767b5a439ebf366d28246d1b0d,

title = "Dual-Function Electron-Conductive, Hole-Blocking Titanium Nitride Contacts for Efficient Silicon Solar Cells",

abstract = "High-performance passivating contact is a prerequisite for high-efficiency crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. In this work, an electron-conductive, hole-blocking contact based on titanium nitride (TiN) deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering is presented. Quasi-metallic TiN combined with an ultrathin SiO2 passivation layer (SiO2/TiN) is demonstrated to be an effective electron-selective contact on c-Si, featuring a low-contact resistivity of 16.4 mΩ.cm2 and a tolerable recombination current parameter of ∼500 fA/cm2. By implementing the dual-function SiO2/TiN contact, which acts simultaneously as a surface passivating layer and metal electrode, an efficiency of 20% is achieved by an n-type c-Si solar cell with a simple structure. This work not only demonstrates a way to develop efficient n-type c-Si solar cells with dual-function metal nitride contacts at a low cost but also expands the pool of available carrier transport materials, from metal oxides to metal nitrides, for photovoltaic devices.",

author = "Xinbo Yang and Wenzhu Liu and {de Bastiani}, Michele and Thomas Allen and Jingxuan Kang and Hang Xu and Erkan Aydin and Lujia Xu and Qunyu Bi and Hoang Dang and Esra AlHabshi and Konstantinos Kotsovos and Ahmed AlSaggaf and Issam Gereige and Yimao Wan and Jun Peng and Christian Samundsett and Andres Cuevas and {De Wolf}, Stefaan",

note = "KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): OSR-CRG URF/1/3383 Acknowledgements: The research reported in this publication was supported by funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under award no. OSR-CRG URF/1/3383, as well as funding from Saudi Aramco.",

year = "2019",

month = apr,

day = "16",

doi = "10.1016/j.joule.2019.03.008",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "3",

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Yang, X, Liu, W, de Bastiani, M, Allen, T, Kang, J, Xu, H, Aydin, E, Xu, L, Bi, Q, Dang, H, AlHabshi, E, Kotsovos, K, AlSaggaf, A, Gereige, I, Wan, Y, Peng, J, Samundsett, C, Cuevas, A & De Wolf, S 2019, 'Dual-Function Electron-Conductive, Hole-Blocking Titanium Nitride Contacts for Efficient Silicon Solar Cells', Joule, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 1314-1327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2019.03.008

TY - JOUR

T1 - Dual-Function Electron-Conductive, Hole-Blocking Titanium Nitride Contacts for Efficient Silicon Solar Cells

AU - Yang, Xinbo

AU - Liu, Wenzhu

AU - de Bastiani, Michele

AU - Allen, Thomas

AU - Kang, Jingxuan

AU - Xu, Hang

AU - Aydin, Erkan

AU - Xu, Lujia

AU - Bi, Qunyu

AU - Dang, Hoang

AU - AlHabshi, Esra

AU - Kotsovos, Konstantinos

AU - AlSaggaf, Ahmed

AU - Gereige, Issam

AU - Wan, Yimao

AU - Peng, Jun

AU - Samundsett, Christian

AU - Cuevas, Andres

AU - De Wolf, Stefaan

N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): OSR-CRG URF/1/3383 Acknowledgements: The research reported in this publication was supported by funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under award no. OSR-CRG URF/1/3383, as well as funding from Saudi Aramco.

PY - 2019/4/16

Y1 - 2019/4/16

N2 - High-performance passivating contact is a prerequisite for high-efficiency crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. In this work, an electron-conductive, hole-blocking contact based on titanium nitride (TiN) deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering is presented. Quasi-metallic TiN combined with an ultrathin SiO2 passivation layer (SiO2/TiN) is demonstrated to be an effective electron-selective contact on c-Si, featuring a low-contact resistivity of 16.4 mΩ.cm2 and a tolerable recombination current parameter of ∼500 fA/cm2. By implementing the dual-function SiO2/TiN contact, which acts simultaneously as a surface passivating layer and metal electrode, an efficiency of 20% is achieved by an n-type c-Si solar cell with a simple structure. This work not only demonstrates a way to develop efficient n-type c-Si solar cells with dual-function metal nitride contacts at a low cost but also expands the pool of available carrier transport materials, from metal oxides to metal nitrides, for photovoltaic devices.

AB - High-performance passivating contact is a prerequisite for high-efficiency crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. In this work, an electron-conductive, hole-blocking contact based on titanium nitride (TiN) deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering is presented. Quasi-metallic TiN combined with an ultrathin SiO2 passivation layer (SiO2/TiN) is demonstrated to be an effective electron-selective contact on c-Si, featuring a low-contact resistivity of 16.4 mΩ.cm2 and a tolerable recombination current parameter of ∼500 fA/cm2. By implementing the dual-function SiO2/TiN contact, which acts simultaneously as a surface passivating layer and metal electrode, an efficiency of 20% is achieved by an n-type c-Si solar cell with a simple structure. This work not only demonstrates a way to develop efficient n-type c-Si solar cells with dual-function metal nitride contacts at a low cost but also expands the pool of available carrier transport materials, from metal oxides to metal nitrides, for photovoltaic devices.

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/631972

UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542435119301023

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85065490824&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.joule.2019.03.008

DO - 10.1016/j.joule.2019.03.008

M3 - Article

SN - 2542-4351

VL - 3

SP - 1314

EP - 1327

JO - Joule

JF - Joule

IS - 5

ER -

Dual-Function Electron-Conductive, Hole-Blocking Titanium Nitride Contacts for Efficient Silicon Solar Cells

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