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Nanomaterials for Sustainable Energy pp 41–94Cite as

Dielectric Nanomaterials for Silicon Solar Cells

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Part of the book series: NanoScience and Technology ((NANO))

Abstract

Dielectric nanomaterials are emerging as key components in today’s highly efficient silicon solar cells. The most successful materials are SiO2, SiNx:H and Al2O3 due to their excellent material properties for surface passivation and light management. Dielectric passivation layers ensure high level of chemical passivation by effectively reducing the density of silicon surface states, which could act as recombination centers for photo-generated charge carriers. Additionally, these materials provide strong field-effect passivation by a high density of intrinsic fixed charges. However, novel solar cell concepts demand for dielectric nanomaterials with additional functionalities, such as electrical conductivity, simultaneous applicability on n- and p-type substrates or compatibility with low-thermal budget processing. Recent developments show that these functionalities can be realized in multi-oxide nanolaminates including HfO2 or TiO2 sublayers. Additionally, alternative deposition techniques and innovative processes, such as flash light annealing, become available to reduce process complexity and thermal budget. This chapter reviews the theory and application of dielectric nanomaterials in today’s solar cells and gives an outlook on promising solutions in future solar cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NaMLab gGmbH, Nöthnitzer Strasse 64, 01187, Dresden, Germany

    Ingo Dirnstorfer & Thomas Mikolajick

  2. Institute of Semiconductor and Microsystems, TU Dresden, Nöthnitzer Strasse 64, 01187, Dresden, Germany

    Thomas Mikolajick

  3. Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), TU Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany

    Thomas Mikolajick

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  1. Ingo Dirnstorfer
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Correspondence to Ingo Dirnstorfer .

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  1. Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Prog, Kent State Univ, Liquid Crystal Inst, Kent, Ohio, USA

    Quan Li

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Dirnstorfer, I., Mikolajick, T. (2016). Dielectric Nanomaterials for Silicon Solar Cells. In: Li, Q. (eds) Nanomaterials for Sustainable Energy. NanoScience and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32023-6_2

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