New Perspectives on Surface Passivation: Understanding the Si-Al2O3 Interface

The book addresses the problem of passivation at the surface of crystalline silicon solar cells. More specifically, it reports on a high-throughput, industrially compatible deposition method for Al2O3, enabling its application to commercial solar cells. One of the main focus is on the analysis of the physics of Al2O3 as a passivating dielectric for silicon surfaces. This is accomplished through a comprehensive study, which moves from the particular, the case of aluminium oxide on silicon, to the general, the physics of surface recombination, and is able to connect theory with practice, highlighting relevant commercial applications.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Surface Recombination Theory.- Al2O3 Deposition and Characterisation.- Electrical Properties of the Si..Al2O3 Interface.- Influence of Deposition Parameters.-Effect of Post-Deposition Thermal Processing- Effect of Surface Dopant Concentration.- Effect of Surface Orientation and Morphology.- Relationship Between Al2O3 Bulk and Interface Properties.- Conclusion.