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Low Temperature Deposition of Amorphous Silicon Based Solar Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Christian Koch ,
Manabu Ito ,
Markus Schubert  and
Jurgen H. Werner
Christian Koch
Affiliation:
Institut für Physikalische Elektronik, Universität StuttgartPfaffenwaldring 47, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany, Email:, chkoch@ipe.uni-stuttgart.de
Manabu Ito
Affiliation:
Institut für Physikalische Elektronik, Universität StuttgartPfaffenwaldring 47, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Markus Schubert
Affiliation:
Institut für Physikalische Elektronik, Universität StuttgartPfaffenwaldring 47, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Jurgen H. Werner
Affiliation:
Institut für Physikalische Elektronik, Universität StuttgartPfaffenwaldring 47, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
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Abstract

Our investigations study the influence of various deposition parameters on the structural and optoelectronic properties of a-Si:H deposited at temperatures of 100 °C and below. Despite a significant material quality deterioration at low substrate temperatures, we observe remarkable improvements of charge carrier transport properties due to an increased H2-dilution of the process gases. In case of doped layers, we restore the electrical conductivity of low temperature n-type a-Si:H to standard values, whereas the p-layer quality is still inferior. We incorporate our optimized low temperature layers into a variety of solar cell types, including single and tandem cell structures. In addition to our conventional pin-structures we also successfully develop nip-cells for growth on opaque polymer substrates. From pinpin tandem cells, we record initial efficiencies of 6.0 % at a deposition temperature of 100 °C and 3.8 % at 75 °C. Interestingly, our nipnip tandem structures attain similar values which offers the possibility for deposition on low-cost plastic substrates. The mechanical flexibility of such substrates offers a wide variety of novel applications.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 557: Symposium A – Amorphous and Heterogeneous Silicon Thin Films—Fundamentals to Devices—1999 , 1999 , 749
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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References

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