Chemically active plasmas for surface passivation of Si photovoltaics

• We review the chemically active plasmas for surface passivation of Si PV.
• We examine the plasma catalyzed deposition for passivation materials.
• The involved physical and chemical elementary processes are given.
• The passivation mechanism is pinpointed.
• The relationship between plasma process and passivation performance is identified.

The plasma catalyzed deposition of compound dielectrics is very common for surface passivation of Si-based solar cells in recent decades. This paper reviews the underlying physics and chemistry of chemically active plasmas for the deposition of dielectric films including hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiNx:H), aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide (a-SiOx:H). The relevant growth and passivation mechanisms are identified and several examples are selected to represent the superiority of plasma processes in the application of Si photovoltaics.

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