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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Intal, Donald, Huneycutt, Sandra, Ebong, Abasifreke, Rohatgi, Ajeet, Upadhyaya, Vijay, Dasgupta, Sagnik, Zhong, Ruohan, Druffel, Thad, Dharmadasa, Ruvini
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.20496
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Table of 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.