Revised parametrization of the recombination velocity at SiO2/SiNx-passivated phosphorus-diffused surfaces

We investigate the effective surface recombination velocity S-eff of alkaline textured, Phosphorus-diffused and thermal SiO2/SiNx passivated surfaces with an emphasis on the impact of the thermal oxidation temperature. The application of a recent calibration procedure for the carrier lifetime measurements enables a precise determination of the dark saturation current density. The experimental results include 25 diffusion/oxidation process combinations that cover a wide range of final surface concentration levels N-s between 3.10(20) cm(-3) and 1.10(19) cm(-3), using oxidation temperatures T-ox from 650 degrees C to 900 degrees C. This yields a data set that enables a revision of the commonly applied parameterization of the effective surface recombination velocity of this passivation scheme using numerical simulation. In addition, the impact of fixed surface charges is modeled for separating field effect and chemical passivation properties. Also, the role of the oxidation temperature on the passivation quality is investigated.

Automated summary

This study focuses on the effective surface recombination velocity of alkaline textured, Phosphorus-diffused, and thermal SiO2/SiNx passivated surfaces with an emphasis on the impact of the thermal oxidation temperature. By applying a recent calibration procedure for carrier lifetime measurements, precise determination of the dark saturation current density was achieved. Experimental results from various diffusion/oxidation process combinations provide a dataset for revising the parameterization of the effective surface recombination velocity and investigating the impact of oxidation temperature on passivation quality, including the modeling of fixed surface charges.