Amorphous Hydrogenated Silicon P-I-N Solar Cells Grown from Hydrogen-Diluted Silane

1990 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murray S Bennett ◽  
Jacob C Tu
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Deposition Pressure ◽  
Hydrogenated Silicon ◽  
Hydrogen Dilution ◽  
Amorphous Hydrogenated Silicon ◽  
Deposition Parameters ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Made In ◽  
Deposition Conditions

ABSTRACTWe investigated p-i-n solar cells in which the i-layer was grown from hydrogen-diluted silane. The deposition parameters which were varied include flow rates, deposition pressure and power, and the degree of hydrogen dilution. We found that high quality devices could be made in which the i-layer was grown under a wide range of deposition conditions but that over this range neither the initial performance nor the stability of the devices differed significantly from those of cells having the same structure, but in which the i-layer was deposited from SiH4 with no H2-dilution.

Structural and morphological investigation of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide

2001 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Prado ◽  
M. C. A. Fantini ◽  
I. Pereyra ◽  
G. Y. Odo ◽  
C. M. Lepienski
Keyword(s):  
Silicon Carbide ◽  
Chemical Vapor ◽  
Infrared Spectrometry ◽  
Morphological Investigation ◽  
Hydrogenated Silicon ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Hydrogen Dilution ◽  
Amorphous Hydrogenated Silicon ◽  
Deposition Parameters ◽  
Transmission Electron

Amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide thin films were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at temperatures ranging from 573 to 623 K, with different concentrations of silane and methane, exploring two deposition parameters: the radio frequency (r.f.) power and the hydrogen dilution. The aim of the work was to induce, predominantly, the formation of Si—C heteronuclear bonds in a homogeneous network. The composition was determined by Rutherford backscattering and the chemical bonding by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The local structural order was analyzed by means of extended X-ray absorption fine structure at the SiKedge. The morphology was investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering in order to determine the possible presence of voids in the amorphous matrix. The morphological investigation was completed by transmission electron microscopy. Better-structured films were obtained for a composition close to stoichiometry, grown with an r.f. power of 100 W and with 300 s.c.c.m. (standard cubic centimeter per minute) of hydrogen dilution.

Towards Stabilized 10% Efficiency of Large-Area (> 5000cm2) a-Si/a-SiGe Tandem Solar Cells using High-Rate Deposition

2001 ◽  
Vol 664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shingo Okamoto ◽  
Akira Terakawa ◽  
Eiji Maruyama ◽  
Wataru Shinohara ◽  
Makoto Tanaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Plasma Cvd ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Tandem Solar Cells ◽  
Cvd Method ◽  
Hydrogen Dilution ◽  
High Photosensitivity ◽  
Deposition Conditions

ABSTRACTThis paper reviews recent progress in large-area a-Si/a-SiGe tandem solar cells in Sanyo. Much effort has been devoted to increasing both the stabilized efficiency and the process throughput. A key issue in increasing the stabilized efficiency is thinner i-layer structure with an improved optical confinement effect. High-rate deposition of the i-layers has been investigated using rf (13.56MHz) plasma-CVD method while keeping the substrate temperature below 200 °C. A high photosensitivity of 106 of a-Si:H films maintain up to the deposition rate (Rd) of 15 Å/s by optimizing hydrogen dilution and other deposition conditions. It is of great importance to utilize the effect of hydrogen dilution which can reduce the incorporation of excess hydrogen in the films. The world's highest conversion efficiency of 11.2% has been achieved for a large-area (8252cm2) a-Si/a-SiGe tandem by combining the optimized hydrogen dilution and other solar cell related technologies.

Progress on high performance multijunction amorphous hydrogenated silicon alloy based solar cells and modules

Solar Cells ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 30 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 261-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Catalano ◽  
R.R. Arya ◽  
M. Bennett ◽  
L. Yang ◽  
Y. Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Hydrogenated Silicon ◽  
Silicon Alloy ◽  
Amorphous Hydrogenated Silicon

Evaluation of Ar-Diluted Silane PECVD for Thin Film Si:H Based Solar Cells

2004 ◽  
Vol 808 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Anna Selvan ◽  
Yuan-Min Li ◽  
Liwei Li ◽  
Alan E. Delahoy
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Spectral Response ◽  
Nanocrystalline Silicon ◽  
Thin Layers ◽  
Dilution Method ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Hydrogen Dilution ◽  
Porous Microstructure ◽  
The Stability

ABSTRACTDilution by Ar of silane plasma has been reported to increase the stability of a-Si:H films. A critical question is whether Ar diluted i-layers offer higher stabilized solar cell efficiencies than the conventional hydrogen dilution method. We have fabricated a-Si:H p-i-n solar cells with RF-PECVD i-layers by Ar dilution of silane. Ar dilution ratio (ADR, Ar/SiH4), RF power,pressure, and i-layer thickness were varied. At low ADR < 20, such solar cells show comparable initial efficiencies and stability as those devices having H2-diluted i-layers of similar thickness. For cells made with ADR > 20, the initial efficiency decreases dramatically with further increase in Ar dilution, and light soaking causes only mild changes in efficiencies. The stabilized efficiencies of cells made with high ADR are inferior to the cells produced with low ADR or cells prepared by H2 dilution. Further, Voc of solar cells made with high ADR (> 50) decreases substantially in ambient, indicating a porous microstructure susceptible to oxidation. While thermal annealing improves the Voc, a full recovery of Voc is made by accelerated light soaking.The combination of high power and high ADR can lead to nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) growth, although nucleation is much more difficult to attain by the Ar dilution method compared to hydrogen dilution. We have succeeded in fabricating p-i-n solar cells with nc-Si:H i-layers prepared by the Ar dilution approach. The double dilution by Ar and hydrogen of silane (Ar+H2+SiH4) can result in nc-Si:H i-layers with enhanced long wavelength spectral response compared to devices incorporating nc-Si:H i-layers grown by H2 dilution only. The nc-Si:H solar cells with Ar+H2 diluted i-layers exhibit no light-induced degradation.Using energetic Ar-rich plasma, in a process much simpler than the traditional nc-Si:H technique, doped a-Si:H thin layers can be prepared to form excellent tunnel junctions for multi-junction solar cells. We demonstrate such a novel, non-contaminating tunnel junction in tandem a-Si/a-Si and a-Si/nc-Si solar cells entirely fabricated in a single-chamber RF-PECVD system.

Optical absorption in PECVD deposited thin hydrogenated silicon in light of ordering effects

Open Physics ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarmila Müllerová ◽  
Veronika Vavruňková ◽  
Pavel Å utta
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Vapour ◽  
Optical Transmittance ◽  
Band Gap Energy ◽  
Absorption Coefficients ◽  
Hydrogenated Silicon ◽  
Transmittance Spectra ◽  
Silicon Thin Films ◽  
Hydrogen Dilution ◽  
Ordering Effects ◽  
Amorphous Hydrogenated Silicon

AbstractWe report results obtained from measurements of optical transmittance spectra carried out on a series of silicon thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) from silane diluted with hydrogen. Hydrogen dilution of silane results in an inhomogeneous growth during which the material evolves from amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) to microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon (µc-Si:H). Spectral refractive indices and absorption coefficients were determined from transmittance spectra. The spectral absorption coefficients were used to determine the Tauc optical band gap energy, the B factor of the Tauc plots, E 04 (energy at which the absorption coefficient is equal to 104 cm−1), and the Urbach energy as a function of the hydrogen dilution. The results were correlated with microstructure, namely volume fractions of the amorphous and crystalline phase with voids, and with the grain size.

Stability of Single and Tandem Junction A-Si:H Solar Cells Grown using the ECR Process

1997 ◽  
Vol 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikram L. Dalal ◽  
Tim Maxson ◽  
Robert Girvan ◽  
Sohail Haroon
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Stability Studies ◽  
Stability Tests ◽  
High Hydrogen ◽  
Single Junction ◽  
Hydrogen Dilution ◽  
The Stability

ABSTRACTWe report on the fabrication and stability tests of single junction a-Si:H, and tandem junction a-Si:H/a-Si:H solar cells using the ECR process under high hydrogen dilution (H-ECR process). We show that devices with high fill factors can be made using the H-ECR process. We also report on the stability studies of the solar cells under 1 and 2-sun illumination conditions. The solar cells show very little degradation even after 500 hours of illumination under 2 x sunlight illumination.

Effect of the Substrate Temperature on the Transition from Amorphous to Microcrystalline Silicon with High Hydrogen Dilution

2013 ◽  
Vol 773 ◽  
pp. 520-523
Author(s):  
Ming Liang Zhang ◽  
Hui Dong Yang ◽  
Kai Zhao Yang
Keyword(s):  
Substrate Temperature ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Chemical Vapor ◽  
Silicon Films ◽  
Microcrystalline Silicon ◽  
High Hydrogen ◽  
Hydrogenated Silicon ◽  
Glass Substrates ◽  
Amorphous Hydrogenated Silicon ◽  
The Stability

Transition films of amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) to microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) have attracted much attention due to the stability, high overall quality for solar cells configuration. Hydrogenated amorphous and microcrystalline silicon films were deposited on glass substrates by a conventional plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PEVCD) varying the substrate temperature from 275 to 350 °C. A silane concentration of 4% and a total flow rate of 100 sccm were used at a gas pressure of 267 Pa. The film thicknesses of the prepared samples were between 700 and 900 nm estimated from the optical transmission spectra. The deposition rates were between 0.2 and 0.3 nm/s. The phase composition of the deposited silicon films were investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The transition from amorphous to microcrystalline silicon was found at the higher temperatures. The crystallization process of the amorphous silicon can be affected by the substrate temperature. A narrow structural transition region was observed from the changes of the crystalline volume fraction. The dark electrical conductivity of the silicon films increased as the substrate temperature increasing.

Light Trapping by Periodically Structured TCO in the Submicrometer Range

2000 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Eisele ◽  
Christoph E. Nebel ◽  
Martin Stutzmann
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Total Internal Reflection ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Diffraction Order ◽  
Hydrogenated Silicon ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Amorphous Hydrogenated Silicon ◽  
Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide

ABSTRACTAmorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells need efficient light trapping structures to achieve high efficiency. To this end, aluminum doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) as a transparent front contact was periodically structured. Solar cells with grating periods between 390 and 980 nm were realized. The structures were characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and optical reflection. A simple formula for the wavelength where total internal reflection starts is deduced for each diffraction order. Solar cells with a periodic grating show a significant reduction in the overall reflectance which is comparable to cells with an optimized statistical texture.

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