Effect of heat treatment on the surface morphology and optical properties of the Al₂O₃ thin film for use in solar cells

The technology of manufacturing silicon solar cells is complex and consists of several stages. The final steps in succession are the deposition of antireflection layer and discharge contacts. Metallic contacts are usually deposited by the screen printing method and then, fired at high temperature. Therefore, this article presents the results of a research on the effect of heat treatment on the properties of the Al2O3 thin film previously deposited by the atomic layer deposition method. It works well as both passivating and antireflection coating. Moreover, heat treatment affects the value of the cell short-circuit current and, thus, its efficiency. The surface morphology, optical and electrical properties were investigated, describing the influence of heat treatment on the properties of the deposited layers and the manufactured solar cells.