Advances in low-temperature passivated silicon solar cells

Significant progress in the area of low-temperature passivated silicon solar cells is reported using silicon nitride films fabricated at 300-400°C in a remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition system. Due to the low deposition temperature and the high refraction index, these films act as highly efficient surface-passivating antireflection coatings. Application of these SiN films to low-cost silicon solar cell designs turned out to be most successful, as demonstrated by diffused p-n junction cells with efficiencies above 19%, by bifacial p-n junction cells with front and rear efficiencies above 18%, by mask-free evaporated p-n junction cells with efficiencies above 18%, and by MIS inversion layer cells with a new record efficiency of 17.1%