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Nickel and Copper Electrochemical Deposition for Silicon Photovoltaic Metallization

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A Correction to this article was published on 21 August 2023

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Abstract

Copper (Cu) is a perfect conductor, which is adapted for solar energy conversion and other advanced applications. In this work, we demonstrate the formation of Electrochemical Deposition (ELD) Cu layers directly on Ni barrier layers. The front contact consists of Ni and Cu layers. These double layers of metals help in reducing the series resistance of solar cells. ELD nickel layers of different thicknesses were deposited as a seed-layer at 58 °C on silicon substrate before electrolytic copper thickening. Further the Ni deposited are annealed at 400 °C, to obtain NiSi (Nickel Silicide), which lowers the contact resistivity between Ni and Si. The current density and deposition time of ELD Ni and Cu are investigated. Deposition current density was found to have a wide influence on the crystal orientation and the quality of the organization in the lattice. A continuous Cu film with thickness up to 57 μm is formed. The SEM images demonstrate the effect of electrodeposition parameters on the properties of Cu films. The rate of deposition and the film composition are studied. The effect deposition process and its characteristics are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The work was funded by the National Research Fund DGRSDT (Algeria) and supported by Research Center on Semiconductor Technology for Energetic (CRTSE).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center On Semiconductors Technology for Energetic, 02 Bd Frantz Fanon, BP 140, 7 Merveilles, Algiers, Algeria

    S. Meziani, A. Moussi, S. Chaouchi, O. Djema, M. Berouaken & C. Yaddaden

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  1. S. Meziani
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  2. A. Moussi
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  3. S. Chaouchi
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  4. O. Djema
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  5. M. Berouaken
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Contributions

Samir MEZIANI Wrote the paper, conceived and designed the analysis, contributed data and analysis tools. Abderrahmane MOUSSI Wrote the introduction paper, make corrections to the manuscript. Sofiane CHAOUCHI Preparation of Nickel and Copper solutions. Oussama DJEMA Other contribution, discussions and preparation of POCl3 diffusion method. Malika BEROUAKEN Nickel deposition by electrochemical deposition methods. Chafia YADDADEN Copper deposition by electrochemical deposition methods. All authors reviewed manuscript.

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Correspondence to S. Meziani.

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Meziani, S., Moussi, A., Chaouchi, S. et al. Nickel and Copper Electrochemical Deposition for Silicon Photovoltaic Metallization. Silicon 15, 4119–4126 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-023-02336-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-023-02336-3

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