Allen, T. G.Cuevas, A.2015-12-132015-12-130003-6951http://hdl.handle.net/1885/81298This paper proposes the application of gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) thin films to crystalline silicon solar cells. Effective passivation of n- and p-type crystalline silicon surfaces has been achieved by the application of very thin Ga₂O₃ films prepared by atomic layer deposition using trimethylgallium (TMGa) and ozone (O₃) as the reactants. Surface recombination velocities as low as 6.1 cm/s have been recorded with films less than 4.5 nm thick. A range of deposition parameters has been explored, with growth rates of approximately 0.2 Å/cycle providing optimum passivation. The thermal activation energy for passivation of the Si-Ga₂O₃ interface has been found to be approximately 0.5 eV. Depassivation of the interface was observed for prolonged annealing at increased temperatures. The activation energy for depassivation was measured to be 1.9 eV.This work has been supported by the Australian government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/0003-6951..."Publishers version/PDF may be used on author's personal website, institutional website or institutional repository" from SHERPA/RoMEO site (as at 14/12/15). Copyright 2014 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Applied Physics Letters and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.48907372014-07-2110.1063/1.48907372016-02-24