Plasma-aided fabrication in Si-based photovoltaic applications: an overview

Plasma-aided fabrication has been largely employed in the photovoltaic industry and widely reported in the literature for the growth of Si-based solar cells and the dry etching of Si substrates. This paper reviews the current status of plasma technologies for the synthesis of Si-based thin films (including silicon nitride: SiN) and solar cells, removal of phosphorus silicate glass or parasitic emitters, wafer cleaning, masked or mask-free surface texturization and the direct formation of a p-n junction by means of p-to-n type conductivity conversion. The plasma physics and chemistry involved in these processes and their fundamental mechanisms are briefly discussed. Some examples of superior performance and competitive advantages of plasma processes and techniques are selected to represent a range of applications for solar cells. Finally, an outlook in the field of plasma-aided fabrication for photovoltaic applications is given.