Hydrogenation of passivated contacts
Methods of hydrogenation of passivated contacts using materials having hydrogen impurities are provided. An example method includes applying, to a passivated contact, a layer of a material, the material containing hydrogen impurities. The method further includes subsequently annealing the material and subsequently removing the material from the passivated contact.
1. A method comprising:
applying, to a passivated contact, a layer of a material, the material containing hydrogen impurities;
subsequently annealing the layer of the material; and
subsequently removing the layer of the material from the passivated contact.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layer of the material comprises alumina (Al2O3).
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layer of the material is applied using Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD).
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layer of the material is applied using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD).
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the passivated contact comprises a layer of polycrystalline silicon (pcSi) on silicon oxide (SiOx).
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising growing the passivated contact on a silicon wafer, wherein growing the passivated contact comprises growing a layer of silicon oxide (SiOx) on the silicon wafer.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the layer of silicon oxide has a thickness of 10 nm or less.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the layer of silicon oxide has a thickness of 2 nm or less.
9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the layer of silicon oxide is thermally grown on the silicon wafer.
10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the layer of silicon oxide is chemically grown on the silicon wafer.
11. The method of claim 6 , wherein growing the passivated contact further comprises growing amorphous silicon on the layer of silicon oxide.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein growing the passivated contact further comprises thermally crystalizing the amorphous silicon to form a layer of polycrystalline silicon (pcSi).
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the amorphous silicon is applied using Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD).
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the layer of the material comprises applying at least one of an acid or a base to the layer of the material.
15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a doped amorphous silicon cap on the passivated contact after removing the layer of the material.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the doped amorphous silicon cap has a thickness between about 3 nm and about 7 nm.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the passivated contact is incorporated within a solar cell.