Formation of n-type polycrystalline silicon with controlled doping concentration by flash lamp annealing of catalytic CVD amorphous silicon films

Abstract We investigated the properties of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films formed by the flash lamp annealing (FLA) of hydrogenated amorphous Si (a-Si:H) films. Phosphorus- (P-) doped a-Si:H films with a thickness of several micrometers deposited by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD) on a silicon nitride- (SiN x -) coated textured glass substrate are crystallized by FLA. P doping was achieved by flowing phosphine (PH 3 ) during Cat-CVD, and the P concentration was controlled within a range of 10 16 –10 21 cm −3 , which was measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry. We also fabricated simple back-contact Si heterojunction solar cells to estimate a potential of flash-lamp-crystallized poly-Si as an absorption layer. The current-density–voltage ( J–V ) characteristics of the cells measured under 1 Sun light irradiation show an open-circuit voltage ( V OC ) of >0.4 V.