EXCIMER LASER CRYSTALLIZATION AND NANOSTRUCTURING OF AMORPHOUS SILICON FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Excimer laser crystallization of amorphous silicon has been extensively studied for electronic applications. Most of the early works has been on thin film transistor fabrication from laser crystallized silicon. However, in parallel, the applicability of the technique for photovoltaics has also been pursued. Direct crystallization of the absorber layer of a thin film amorphous silicon cell has proven unsuitable, due to poor device performance. The surface nanostructuring capability of the laser process, as a result of the crystallization appears to be of more scientific significance, and a number of applications have been reported. This review covers the established physics of excimer laser crystallization in the context of photovoltaics. It also expands on more recent applications of excimer laser nanostructuring of amorphous silicon, especially for photovoltaic applications. The outlook of the technique for photovoltaics is discussed with the use of reported successes, briefly discussing the fundamental improvements.