• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.20 no.6
• /
• pp.338-343
• /
• 2010

As an alternative to the W plug used in MOSFETs, a Cu plug with a NiSi contact using Ta / TaN as a diffusion barrier is currently being considered. Conventionally, Ni was first deposited and then NiSi was formed, followed by the barrier and Cu deposition. In this study, Ti was employed as a barrier material and simultaneous formation of the NiSi contact and Cu plug / Ti barrier was attempted. Cu(100 nm) / Ti / Ni(20 nm) with varying Ti thicknesses were deposited on a Si substrate and annealed at $4000^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. For comparison, Cu/Ti/NiSi thin films were also formed by the conventional method. Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM), X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD), and Auger Electron Microscopy (AES) analysis were performed to characterize the inter-diffusion properties. For a Ti interlayer thicker than 50 nm, the NiSi formation was incomplete, although Cu diffusion was inhibited by the Ti barrier. For a Ti thickness of 20 nm and less, an almost stoichiometric NiSi contact along with the Cu plug and Ti barrier layers was formed. The results were comparable to that formed by the conventional method and showed that this alternative process has potential as a formation process for the Cu plug/Ti barrier/NiSi contact system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2009.06a
• /
• pp.434-435
• /
• 2009

The crystalline silicon solar cell where the solar cell market grows rapidly is occupying of about 85% or more. high-efficiency and low cost endeavors many crystalline silicon solar cells. the fabrication processes of high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells necessitate complicated fabrication processes and Ti/Pd/Ag contact, however, this contact formation processed by expensive materials. Ni/Cu contact formation is good alternative. in this paper, according to temperature Ni silicide makes, produced Ni/Cu contact solar cell and measured conversion efficiency.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.17 no.12
• /
• pp.1352-1355
• /
• 2004

We have applied front contact metallization of plated nickel and copper for high efficiency passivated emitter rear contact(PERC) solar cell. Ni is shown to be a suitable barrier to Cu diffusion as well as desirable contact metal to silicon. The plating technique is a preferred method for commercial solar cell fabrication because it is a room temperature process with high growth rates and good morphology. In this system, the electroless plated Ni is utilized as the contact to silicon and the plated Cu serves as the primary conductor layer instead of traditional solution that are based on Ti/Pd/Ag contact system. Experimental results are shown for over 20 % PERC cells with the Plated Ni/Cu contact system for good performance at low cost.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2007.06a
• /
• pp.250-253
• /
• 2007

An evaporated Ti/Pd/Ag contact system is most widely used to make high-efficiency silicon solar cells, however, the system is not cost effective due to expensive materials and vacuum techniques. Commercial solar cells with screen-printed contacts formed by using Ag paste suffer from a low fill factor and a high shading loss because of high contact resistance and low aspect ratio. Low-cost Ni and Cu metal contacts have been formed by using electroless plating and electroplating techniques to replace the Ti/Pd/Ag and screen-printed Ag contacts. Ni/Cu alloy is plated on a silicon substrate by electro-deposition of the alloy from an acetate electrolyte solution, and nickel-silicide formation at the interface between the silicon and the nickel enhances stability and reduces the contact resistance. It was, therefore, found that nickel-silicide was suitable for high-efficiency solar cell applications. The Ni contact was formed on the front grid pattern by electroless plating followed by anneal ing at $380{\sim}400^{\circ}C$ for $15{\sim}30$ min at $N_{2}$ gas to allow formation of a nickel-silicide in a tube furnace or a rapid thermal processing(RTP) chamber because nickel is transformed to NiSi at $380{\sim}400^{\circ}C$. The Ni plating solution is composed of a mixture of $NiCl_{2}$ as a main nickel source. Cu was electroplated on the Ni layer by using a light induced plating method. The Cu electroplating solution was made up of a commercially available acid sulfate bath and additives to reduce the stress of the copper layer. The Ni/Cu contact was found to be well suited for high-efficiency solar cells and was successfully formed by using electroless plating and electroplating, which are more cost effective than vacuum evaporation. In this paper, we investigated low-cost Ni/Cu contact formation by electroless and electroplating for crystalline silicon solar cells.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2009.04a
• /
• pp.235-240
• /
• 2009

Crystlline silicon solar cells markets are increasing at rapid pace. now, crystlline silicon solar cells markets screen-printing solar cell is occupying. screen-printing solar cells manufacturing process are very quick, there is a strong point which is a low cost. but silicon and metal contact, uses Ag & Al pates. because of, high contact resistance, high series resistance and sintering inside process the electric conductivity decreases with 1/3. and In pastes ingredients uses Ag where $80{\sim}90%$ is metal of high cost. because of low cost solar cells descriptions is difficult. therefore BCSC(Buried Contact Solar Cell) is developed. and uses light-induced plating, ln-line galvanization developed equipments. Ni/Cu matel contact solar cells researches. in Germany Fraunhofer ISE. In order to manufacture high-efficiency solar cells, metal selections are important. metal materials get in metal resistance does small, to be electric conductivity does highly. efficiency must raise an increase with rise of the curve factor where the contact resistance of the silicon substrate and is caused by few with decrement of series resistance. Ni metal materials the price is cheap, Ti comes similar resistance. Cu and Ag has the electric conductivity which is similar. and Cu price is cheap. In this paper, Ni/Cu/Ag metal contact cell with screen printing manufactured, silicon metal contact comparison and analysis.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
• /
• v.49 no.11
• /
• pp.905-909
• /
• 2011

The formation of front metal contact silicon solar cells is required for low cost, low contact resistance to silicon surfaces. One of the available front metal contacts is Ni/Cu plating, which can be mass produced via asimple and inexpensive process. A selective emitter, meanwhile, involves two different doping levels, with higher doping (${\leq}30{\Omega}/sq$) underneath the grid to achieve good ohmic contact and low doping between the grid in order to minimize the heavy doping effect in the emitter. This study describes the formation of a selective emitter and a nickel silicide seed layer for the front metallization of silicon cells. The contacts were thickened by a plated Ni/Cu two-step metallization process on front contacts. The experimental results showed that the Ni layer via SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and EDX (Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) analyses. Finally, a plated Ni/Cu contact solar cell displayed efficiency of 18.10% on a $2{\times}2cm^2$, Cz wafer.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2009.04a
• /
• pp.230-234
• /
• 2009

It is significant technique to increase competitiveness that solar cells have a high energy conversion efficiency and cost effectiveness. When making high efficiency crystalline Si solar cells, evaporated Ti/Pd/Ag contact system is widely used in order to reduce the electrical resistance of the contact fingers. However, the evaporation process is no applicable to mass production because high vacuum is needed. Furthermore, those metals are too expensive to be applied for terrestrial applications. Ni/Cu/Ag contact system of silicon solar cells offers a relatively inexpensive method of making electrical contact. Ni silicide formation is one of the indispensable techniques for Ni/Cu/Ag contact sytem. Ni was electroless plated on the front grid pattern, After Ni electroless plating, the cells were annealed by RTP(Rapid Thermal Process). Ni silicide(NiSi) has certain advantages over Ti silicide($TiSi_2$), lower temperature anneal, one step anneal, low resistivity, low silicon consumption, low film stress, absence of reaction between the annealing ambient. Ni/Cu/Ag metallization scheme is an important process in the direction of cost reduction for solar cells of high efficiency. In this article we shall report an investigation of rapid thermal silicidation of nickel on silngle crystalline silicon wafers in the annealing range of $350-390^{\circ}C$. The samples annealed at temperatures from 350 to $390^{\circ}C$ have been analyzed by SEM(Scanning Electron Microscopy).

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.328-332
• /
• 2011

The formation of front metal contact silicon solar cells is required for low cost, low contact resistance to silicon surface. One of the front metal contacts is Ni/Cu plating that it is available to simply and inexpensive production to apply mass production. Ni is shown to be a suitable barrier to Cu diffusion into the silicon. The process of Ni electroless plating on front silicon surface is performed using a chemical bath. Additives and buffer agents such as ammonium chloride is added to maintain the stability and pH control of the bath. Ni deposition rate is found to vary with temperature, time, utilization of bath. The experimental result shown that Ni layer by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and EDX analysis. Finally, plated Ni/Cu contact solar cell result in an efficiency of 17.69% on $2{\times}2\;cm^2$, Cz wafer.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2010.06a
• /
• pp.91.2-91.2
• /
• 2010

The use of plated front contact for metallization of silicon solar cell may alternative technologies as a screen printed and silver paste contact. This technologies should allow the formation of contact with low contact resistivity a high line conductivity and also reduction of shading losses. The better performance of Ni/Cu contacts is attributed to the reduced series resistance due to better contact conductivity of Ni with Si and subsequent electroplating of Cu on Ni. The ability to pattern narrower grid lines for reduced light shading combined with the lower resistance of a metal silicide contact and improved conductivity of plated deposit. This improves the FF as the series resistance is deduced. This is very much required in the case of low concentrator solar cells in which the series resistance is one of the important and dominant parameter that affect the cell performance. A selective emitter structure with highly dopes regions underneath the metal contacts, is widely known to be one of the most promising high-efficiency solution in solar cell processing. This paper using selective emitter structure technique, fabricated Ni/Cu plating metallization cell with a cell efficiency of 17.19%.

• Electrical & Electronic Materials
• /
• v.10 no.10
• /
• pp.1016-1021
• /
• 1997

Magneto resistance properties in spin-valve sandwiches with various thickness of nanmagnetic layer in contact with the ferromagnetic NiFe film were investigated. The NiFe layer in contact with the NiO film was pinned by strongly exchange-biased coupling and the free NiFe layer at the film surface induced a sharp change in the magnetoresistance at -5~15Oe due to small coercivity. The NiO/NiFe/Cu/NiFe film showed a magnetoresistance ratio in the range of 2.3~2.9% and a field sensitivity above 2.2%/Oe with various of nonmagnetic layer. The NiO/NiFe/Cu/NiFe film of the field sensitivity above 2.2%/Oe suggests stang possibility of magnetic sensor matter.