Rapid thermal annealing of sputter-deposited ZnO:Al films for microcrystalline Si thin-film solar cells

Abstract

Rapid thermal annealing of sputter-deposited ZnO and Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films with and without an amorphous silicon (a-Si) capping layer was investigated using a radio-frequency (rf) argon thermal plasma jet of argon at atmospheric pressure. The resistivity of bare ZnO films on glass decreased from 108 to 104–105 Ω cm at maximum surface temperatures Tmaxs above 650 °C, whereas the resistivity increased from 10-4 to 10-3–10-2Ω cm for bare AZO films. On the other hand, the resistivity of AZO films with a 30-nm-thick a-Si capping layer remained below 10-4Ω cm, even after TPJ annealing at a Tmax of 825 °C. The film crystallization of both AZO and a-Si layers was promoted without the formation of an intermixing layer. Additionally, the crystallization of phosphorous- and boron-doped a-Si layers at the sample surface was promoted, compared to that of intrinsic a-Si under the identical plasma annealing conditions. The TPJ annealing of n+-a-Si/textured AZO was applied for single junction n-i-p microcrystalline Si thin-film solar cells.