Spalling of Thin Si Layer via Electroless and Electrodeposit-Assisted Stripping (E2AS) with All-Wet

Journal of The Electrochemical Society 165(5)

http://doi.org/10.1149/2.1341805jes

Changyol Yang, Kyounghoon Moon, Jae-Won Song, Jiwon Kim, Jung-Ho Lee, Jae-Hong Lim, and Bongyoung Yoo

Abstract

A novel method using an all-wet process to reduce the cost of material in Si-based devices is described, called the electroless and electrodeposit-assisted stripping (E2AS) process. In this approach, a highly adhesive electroless Ni nanorod seed layer is formed on the Si substrate in place of a conventional high-cost physical vapor deposition (PVD) process. Then, a highly stressed Ni film is electrodeposited as the stress layer for lift-off of the Si thin film. Using the E2AS method, a thin Si film can be repetitively detached from a Si substrate without kerf loss, reducing the solar cell manufacturing cost.