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Main Authors: Intal, Donald, Huneycutt, Sandra, Ebong, Abasifreke, Rohatgi, Ajeet, Upadhyaya, Vijay, Dasgupta, Sagnik, Zhong, Ruohan, Druffel, Thad, Dharmadasa, Ruvini
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.20496
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author Intal, Donald
Huneycutt, Sandra
Ebong, Abasifreke
Rohatgi, Ajeet
Upadhyaya, Vijay
Dasgupta, Sagnik
Zhong, Ruohan
Druffel, Thad
Dharmadasa, Ruvini
author_facet Intal, Donald
Huneycutt, Sandra
Ebong, Abasifreke
Rohatgi, Ajeet
Upadhyaya, Vijay
Dasgupta, Sagnik
Zhong, Ruohan
Druffel, Thad
Dharmadasa, Ruvini
contents 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.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_20496
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Critical look at the atmospheric Cu fire-through dielectric metallization for cost-effective and high efficiency silicon solar cells
Intal, Donald
Huneycutt, Sandra
Ebong, Abasifreke
Rohatgi, Ajeet
Upadhyaya, Vijay
Dasgupta, Sagnik
Zhong, Ruohan
Druffel, Thad
Dharmadasa, Ruvini
Applied Physics
Materials Science
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.
title Critical look at the atmospheric Cu fire-through dielectric metallization for cost-effective and high efficiency silicon solar cells
topic Applied Physics
Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.20496