| AVS 66th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology Division | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session PS+EM-WeM |
| Session: | Plasma Processing of Materials for Energy |
| Presenter: | Maxime Darnon, LN2, CNRS / Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Canada |
| Authors: | M. Darnon, LN2, CNRS / Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Canada M. Volatier, LN2, CNRS / Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Canada P. Albert, LN2, CNRS / Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Canada M. de Lafontaine, LN2, CNRS / Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Canada P. St-Pierre, LN2, CNRS / Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Canada G. Hamon, LN2, CNRS / Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Canada C. Petit-Etienne, LTM, CNRS / Université Grenoble Alpes, France G. Gay, LTM, CNRS / Université Grenoble Alpes, France E. Pargon, LTM, CNRS / Université Grenoble Alpes, France V. Aimez, LN2, CNRS / Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Canada S. Fafard, LN2, CNRS / Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Canada A. Jaouad, LN2, CNRS / Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Canada |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Multijunction solar cells provide the highest efficiency for solar energy conversion into electricity. With record efficiency above 45%, they are used in concentrated photovoltaic systems where their cost is mitigated by the sunlight concentration. Conventional technics for such solar cells’ fabrication include III-V materials epitaxy on germanium, electrodes lift off, antireflective coating deposition by physical vapor deposition and isolation by saw dicing. In this presentation, we will show how plasma processes can advantageously be used to replace some of these steps and how it could enable the fabrication of new architectures of solar cells.
A low-damage III-V plasma etching step can isolate the solar cells one to the other before the mechanical saw dicing. This reduces the density of recombination centers at the edge of the solar cells and provides therefore a higher open circuit voltage. Deep germanium plasma etching can also be used for solar cells dicing with trenches as small as 10 µm. As an alternative to physical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition can coat high transparency silicon nitride and silicon oxide that form an excellent anti-reflective coating and passivate surface recombination centers.
In addition to their benefit for conventional solar cells fabrication, these plasma-based processes also provide opportunity for the fabrication of new kinds of multijunction solar cells, such as ultra small solar cells (<0.07 mm2), front-side contacted solar cells, back-side contacted solar cells, and through cell via contacted solar cells.