Blistering Induced Degradation of Thermal Stability Al2O3Passivation Layer in Crystal Si Solar Cells

Different kinds of post-deposition annealing (PDA) by a rapid thermal process (RTP) are used to enhance the field-effect passivation of Al2O3 film in crystal Si solar cells. To characterize the effects of PDA on Al2O3 and the interface, metalinsulator semiconductor (MIS) devices were fabricated. The effects of PDA were characterized as functions of RTP temperature from 400~700 °C and RTP time from 30~120 s. A high temperature PDA can retard the passivation of thin Al2O3 film in c-Si solar cells. PDA by RTP at 400 °C results in better passivation than a PDA at 400 °C in forming gas (H2 4% in N2) for 30 minutes. A high thermal budget causes blistering on Al2O3 film, which degrades its thermal stability and effective lifetime. It is related to the film structure, deposition temperature, thickness of the film, and annealing temperature. RTP shows the possibility of being applied to the PDA of Al2O3 film. Optimal PDA conditions should be studied for specific Al2O3 films, considering blistering.