Tunneling Contact Passivation Simulations using Silvaco Atlas

TCAD simulations of a p-Si/Al2O3/Al structured solar cell are done to improve the understanding of parameters important for tunneling contact passivation. High efficiencies are achieved for oxide thicknesses below 1.4 nm and for an oxide interface charge concentration of -1×1013 cm-3. The dependence of the work function of Al is shown. The effective mass of bulk Al2O3 is found to be too large for tunneling to occur, so a smaller effective mass is likely for thin films. The simulations of charges, work function, band gap and dielectric constant can also be used as a basis for choosing new tunneling materials.