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Microcrystalline Silicon n-i-p Solar Cells Deposited Entirely by the Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition Technique

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

Qi Wang ,
Eugene Iwaniczko ,
A. H. Mahan  and
D. L. Williamson
Qi Wang
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Blvd. Golden, CO
Eugene Iwaniczko
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Blvd. Golden, CO
A. H. Mahan
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Blvd. Golden, CO
D. L. Williamson
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
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Abstract

We describe a series of microcrystalline (μc) silicon n-i-p solar cell devices fabricated entirely by the hot-wire chemical vapor deposition technique. These devices are deposited on flat stainless-steel at a substrate temperature below 250°C, and are evaluated using solar-cell performance and quantum-efficiency (QE) measurements. We explore the effect of crystallite size, as examined by X-ray diffraction, by varying the hydrogen-to-silane ratio from 5 to 40, while keeping the μc-n and the μc-p layers the same. We find a significant blue shift of the QE peak and an enhancement of red response compared with a standard a-Si:H solar cell. The blue shift increases with increasing hydrogen-to-silane ratio. We attribute this shift to the i-layer becoming more n-type with increasing hydrogen dilution. We also use a hydrogen gas purifier and find a large improvement in device performance.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 507: Symposium A – Amorphous & Microcrystalline Silicon Technology 1998 , 1998 , 903
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1998

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References

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