An induced back surface field solar cell employing a negative barrier metal-insulator-semiconductor contact

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Abstract
A simple theory of current flow in negative barrier metal‐insulator‐semiconductor (MIS) junctions is developed. The properties of negative barrier MIS contacts are found to be closely related to those of positive barrier MIS junctions in which the semiconductor surface is strongly inverted. It is shown that by an appropriate choice of barrier metal work function and insulator thickness it should be possible to produce a negative barrier MIS contact which does not impede the flow of majority carriers, but which acts as a surface of low effective recombination velocity for minority carriers. It is demonstrated experimentally that such minority‐carrier reflecting negative barrier contacts can provide an enhancement in solar cell open circuit voltage equal to that obtained with a diffused back surface field. This is the first report of an induced back surface field solar cell.