Massive Improvement Through Rapid Thermal Annealing and Hydrogen Passivation of Poly-Si Thin-Film Solar Cells on Glass Based on Aluminum Induced Crystallization

In this paper, the changes in V_oc, J_sc and IQE of ALICIA (ALuminum Induced Crystallization, Ion Assisted deposition) pc-Si thin-film solar cells on glass due to rapid thermal anneal (RTA) treatment and remote microwave hydrogen plasma passivation are examined. V_oc improvements from 130 mV to 430 mV, J_sc improvements from 1.2 mA/cm² to 11 mA/cm² , and peak IQE improvements from 16% to >70% are achieved. The effect of hydrogenation on defects that limit the cells´ current and voltage is dramatic, resulting in a gain in J_sc of a factor of 3.4 from hydrogenation alone. A 1-sec RTA at 1000 degC followed by hydrogenation increases the J_sc by a massive factor of 5.5. The evaluation of the passivation of defects has led to a better understanding of the limiting factors to cell performance. This improved understanding paves the way towards ALICIA solar cells with open-circuit voltages above 500 mV