RT Journal Article
T1 High-pressure sputtering deposition and in situ plasma oxidation of TiOx thin films as electron selective contact for photovoltaic applications
T2 High-pressure sputtering deposition and in situ plasma oxidation of TiOx thin films as electron selective contact for photovoltaic applications
A1 Pérez Zenteno, Francisco José
A1 García Hemme, Eric
A1 Torres, I.
A1 Barrio, R.
A1 Duarte Cano, Sebastián
A1 Benítez Fernández, Rafael
A1 Caudevilla Gutiérrez, Daniel
A1 García Hernansanz, Rodrigo
A1 Olea Ariza, Javier
A1 Pastor Pastor, David
A1 Prado Millán, Álvaro Del
A1 San Andrés Serrano, Enrique
AB In this article, we show the structural, optical, and electrical characterization of TiOx deposited by the unconventional technique of High-Pressure Sputtering (HPS). This technique has the potential to reduce the plasma-induced damage of the samples. To fabricate the TiOx, a 2-step process was used. Firstly, a thin Ti film was deposited in an Ar atmosphere. Secondly, O2 was introduced into the HPS chamber to create an Ar/O2 plasma that, along with low temperatures (150 °C or 200 °C), induces the oxidation of the deposited Ti film. With this approach, the Ti film is expected to behave as a capping layer that will reduce the oxidation of the Si substrate. This study aims to obtain a TiOx layer with low specific contact resistivity (ρc) and high minority carrier lifetime. These are crucial characteristics for obtaining high-quality selective contact. It was found that the 2-step process can oxidize the Ti layer. These HPS TiOx layers show a resistivity in the order of 0.3–10 Ωcm and a ratio Ti/O of ∼1.9. Moreover, the SiOx regrowth is minimal since this is comparable to the native oxide. This was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The samples fabricated with a Ti layer (∼4 nm) plus an oxidation temperature of 200 °C (duration of less than 2 h) show a low ρc of 0.02 Ωcm2, an excellent transmittance (>87 %) in the visible region and an optical bandgap of 2.8 eV. These TiOx layers are amorphous, although some anatase phase crystalline clusters appear for the 200 °C processes. However, the minority carrier lifetime results of Si passivated by TiOx were inadequate for fabricating efficient solar cells. We also found that using the RCA oxide improved lifetime. This indicates that introducing alternative low-temperature passivating layers can solve this issue.
PB Elsevier
SN 1369-8001
YR 2024
FD 2024-10-29
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/110511
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/110511
LA eng
NO Pérez-Zenteno, F., García-Hemme, E., Torres, I., Barrio, R., Duarte, S., Benítez-Fernández, R., Caudevilla, D., García-Hernansanz, R., Olea, J., Pastor, D., Prado, A. D., & San Andrés, E. (2025). High-pressure sputtering deposition and in situ plasma oxidation of TiOx thin films as electron selective contact for photovoltaic applications. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, 186, 109038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mssp.2024.109038
NO Universidad Complutense de Madrid
NO Universidad de Zaragoza
NO Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España)
NO Ministerio de Trabajo y Economía Social (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 9 abr 2025