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High Efficiency Thin Film Solar Cells with Intrinsic Microcrystalline Silicon Prepared by Hot Wire CVD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

S. Klein
Affiliation:
Institut für Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
F. Finger
Affiliation:
Institut für Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
R. Carius
Affiliation:
Institut für Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
B. Rech
Affiliation:
Institut für Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
L. Houben
Affiliation:
Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
M. Luysberg
Affiliation:
Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
M. Stutzmann
Affiliation:
Walter Schottky Institut, TU München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
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Abstract

Thin film microcrystalline silicon solar cells were prepared with intrinsic absorber layers by Hot Wire CVD at various silane concentrations and substrate temperatures. Independently from the substrate temperature, a maximum efficiency is observed close to the transition to amorphous growth, i.e. the best cells already show considerable amorphous volume fractions. A detailed analysis of the thickness dependence of the solar cell parameters in the dark and under illumination indicate a high electronic quality of the i-layer material. Solar cells with very high open circuit voltages Voc up to 600mV in combination with fill factors above 70% and high short circuit current densities jsc of 22mA/cm2 were obtained, yielding efficiencies above 9%. The highest efficiency of 9.4% was achieved in solar cells of 1.4μm and 1.8μm thickness. These cells with high Voc have considerable amorphous volume fractions in the i-layer, leading to a reduced absorption in the infrared wavelength region.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

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