Publication number: 20100037942
Abstract: Photovoltaic cells, including silicon solar cells, and methods and compositions for making such photovoltaic cells are provided. A silicon substrate having an n-type silicon layer is provided with a silicon nitride layer, a reactive metal in contact with said silicon nitride layer, and a non-reactive metal in contact with the reactive metal. This assembly is fired to form a low Shottky barrier height contact comprised of metal nitride, and optionally metal silicide, on the silicon substrate, and a conductive metal electrode in contact with said low Shottky barrier height contact. The reactive metal may be titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, and tantalum, and combinations thereof, and the non-reactive metal may be silver, tin, bismuth, lead, antimony, arsenic, indium, zinc, germanium, nickel, phosphorus, gold, cadmium, berrylium, and combinations thereof.
Type:
Application
Filed:
August 5, 2009
Publication date:
February 18, 2010
Applicants:
E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY, NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
Inventors:
William J. Borland, Jon-Paul Maria