Critical look at the atmospheric Cu fire-through dielectric metallization for cost-effective and high efficiency silicon solar cells

Donald Intal; Sandra Huneycutt; Abasifreke Ebong; Ajeet Rohatgi; Vijay Upadhyaya; Sagnik Dasgupta; Ruohan Zhong; Thad Druffel; Ruvini Dharmadasa

arXiv · 2603.20496

Critical look at the atmospheric Cu fire-through dielectric metallization for cost-effective and high efficiency silicon solar cells

Donald Intal·Sandra Huneycutt·Abasifreke Ebong·Ajeet Rohatgi·Vijay Upadhyaya·Sagnik Dasgupta·Ruohan Zhong·Thad Druffel·Ruvini Dharmadasa

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Abstract

The formation of stable copper-silicide (Cu3Si) interfaces is crucial for cost-effective, high-efficiency solar cells. However, copper's diffusivity and electromigration issues pose challenges for contact stability. This study employs Laser-Enhanced Contact Optimization (LECO) to induce localized nano-scale Joule heating at the Cu-Si interface in phosphorus-doped p-PERC solar cells. High-resolution STEM and bright field analyses confirm stable Cu3Si formation in LECO-treated samples, with significantly reduced material segregation compared to nonLECO samples. SEM and post-etch EDS mapping demonstrate improved chemical resistance and interface cleanliness. Electrically, LECO treatmenet reduces series resistance by a factor 3, enhancing fill factor and efficiency while preserving diode quality. These results highlight LECO as a scalable method for reliable, silver-free solar cell metallization.

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Donald Intal, Sandra Huneycutt, Abasifreke Ebong, Ajeet Rohatgi, Vijay Upadhyaya, Sagnik Dasgupta, Ruohan Zhong, Thad Druffel, Ruvini Dharmadasa. 2026-03-20. Critical look at the atmospheric Cu fire-through dielectric metallization for cost-effective and high efficiency silicon solar cells. https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.20496

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