New experimental evidence for minority-carrier reflection at negative-barrier MIS contacts
Abstract
Recently, measurements of the open-circuit voltage of solar cells with negative-barrier metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) back contacts have been used to demonstrate that such contacts can function as the electrical analogues of metallurgical high-low junctions. In this brief, further experimental evidence for the minority-carrier reflecting properties of the negative-barrier MIS junction is presented. First, it is shown that a negative-barrier Mg-SiO(x)nSi back contact can be used to enhance the long-wavelength photoresponse of p(+)n solar cells in the same manner as a diffused n(+) back-surface field. Secondly, measurements of the effective surface-recombination velocity for an Mg-SiO(x)-nSi contact and for a diffused n-n(+) high-low junction formed on an identical substrate are reported. Both junctions gave very low values of recombination velocity, on the order of 50 cm/sec.
- Publication:
-
IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices
- Pub Date:
- June 1982
- DOI:
- 10.1109/T-ED.1982.20825
- Bibcode:
- 1982ITED...29.1018T
- Keywords:
-
- Barrier Layers;
- Electric Contacts;
- Minority Carriers;
- Mis (Semiconductors);
- Open Circuit Voltage;
- Solar Cells;
- Electron Recombination;
- Energy Technology;
- Magnesium;
- Semiconductor Junctions;
- Silicon;
- Silicon Oxides;
- Surface Properties;
- Electronics and Electrical Engineering