DataVXACS Applied Nano MaterialsPaper
journal article·2020-11-25Open access

Degradation Mechanism and Stability Improvement of Dopant-Free ZnO/LiFx/Al Electron Nanocontacts in Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Wenjie Lin, Mathieu Boccard, Sihua Zhong, Vincent Paratte, Quentin Jeangros, Luca Antognini, Julie Dréon, Jean Cattin, Jonathan Thomet, Zongtao Liu, Zhiming Chen, Zongcun Liang, Pingqi Gao, Hui Shen, Christophe Ballif

ACS Applied Nano Materials· Volume 3· Issue 11
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Source abstract

Abstract

Dopant-free passivating contacts for photovoltaics have the potential to be deposited at low costs while providing excellent surface passivation and low contact resistance. However, one pressing issue of dopant-free carrier selective contacts is their lower environmental stability compared to conventional silicon-based contacts. In this contribution, we study the degradation in the ZnO/LiFx/Al electron selective nanocontact with experiments and simulations and suggest design modifications for higher performance and stability. Using a thicker metallization and optimal ZnO deposition temperature (130 °C), we improved open-circuit voltage and fill factor, together with improved stability with retention of over 93 and 88% of the initial open-circuit voltage and fill factor after storage in air for 380 h. The champion device has reached an efficiency of 21.3% with VOC of 727 mV, JSC of 37.6 mA/cm2, and FF of 78.0%. Furthermore, the enhanced stability in vacuum, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images, and the current-exchange simulation suggests that the degradation of the a-Si:H(i)/ZnO/LiFx/Al contact is caused by a drop of the LiFx/Al work function, due to interaction with air. This work has developed a deep understanding of the degradation mechanism and the methodology of stability analysis for dopant-free silicon solar cells.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

NanomaterialsElectronic materialsMaterials processing

OpenAlex topics: Silicon and Solar Cell Technologies · Nanowire Synthesis and Applications · Semiconductor materials and interfaces

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Technology, School of Physics and State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China

Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory (PV-lab), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2002 Neuchâtel, Switzerland

School of Science, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province 222005, China

Shunde-SYSU Institute for Solar Energy, Beijiao 528300, Shunde, China

School of Materials, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China

Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, Jiangsu Province, China

Funding

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur F?rderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung · National Natural Science Foundation of China · Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province · Guangzhou Collaborative Innovation Major Project of producing, teaching and researching · Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering

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