Pal, SoupitakBarrirero, JeniferLehmann, MarioJeangros, QuentinValle, NathalieHaug, Franz-JosefHessler-Wyser, AichaKumar, C. N. ShyamMuecklich, FrankWirtz, TomEswara, Santhana2021-06-192021-06-192021-06-192021-07-3010.1016/j.apsusc.2021.149650https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/179119WOS:000647653000001Multiscale characterization of the hydrogenation process of silicon solar cell contacts based on c-Si/SiOx/ncSiCx(p) has been performed by combining dynamic secondary ion mass-spectrometry (D-SIMS), atom probe tomography (APT), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These contacts are formed by high-temperature firing, which triggers the crystallization of SiCx, followed by a hydrogenation process to passivate remaining interfacial defects. Due to the difficulty of characterizing hydrogen at the nm-scale, the exact hydrogenation mechanisms have remained elusive. Using a correlative TEM-SIMS-APT analysis, we are able to locate hydrogen trap sites and quantify the hydrogen content. Deuterium (D), a heavier isotope of hydrogen, is used to distinguish hydrogen introduced during hydrogenation from its background signal. D-SIMS is used, due to its high sensitivity, to get an accurate deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio, which is then used to correct deuterium profiles extracted from APT reconstructions. This new methodology to quantify the concentration of trapped hydrogen in nm-scale structures sheds new insights on hydrogen distribution in technologically important photovoltaic materials.Chemistry, PhysicalMaterials Science, Coatings & FilmsPhysics, AppliedPhysics, Condensed MatterChemistryMaterials SciencePhysicssecondary ion mass spectrometry (sims)atom probe tomography (apt)transmission electron microscopy (tem)c-si-solar cellcorrelative microscopysolar-cellstrapping sitestemperaturedeuteriumoxygensteeladsorptionrelocationresolutionmechanismtext::journal::journal article::research article