On the Current Conduction and Interface Passivation of Graphene–Insulator–Silicon Solar Cells

Interface-passivated graphene/silicon Schottky junction solar cells have demonstrated promising features with improved stability and power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, there are some misunderstandings in the literature regarding some of the working mechanisms and the impacts of the silicon/insulator interface. Specifically, attributing performance improvement to oxygen vacancies and characterizing performance using Schottky barrier height and ideality factor might not be the most accurate or appropriate. This work uses Al₂O₃ as an example to provide a detailed discussion on the interface ALD growth of Al₂O₃ on silicon and its impact on graphene electrode metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) solar cells. We further suggest that the current conduction in MIS solar cells with an insulating layer of 2 to 3 nm thickness is better described by direct tunneling, Poole-Frenkel emission, and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling, as the junction voltage sweeps from negative to a larger forward bias. The dielectric film thickness, its band offset with Si, and the interface roughness, are key factors to consider for process optimization.