Ex-situ Hydrogenation of Sputtered Transparent Conductive Oxide layers by Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation

This paper reports on an innovative way for the hydrogenation of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layers deposited by magnetron sputtering. These hydrogenated films offer the possibility to increase the performances of crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells using passivating contacts technologies. Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) of Hydrogen is shown to improve both surface passivation and electrical properties of TCO layers depending on the post-implantation annealing steps. A double effect is obtained through this annealing process: (i) TCOs electrical conductivity improvement and (ii) a better passivation of the c-Si surface possibly due to the enhancement of the hydrogen diffusion.