Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T00:48:16.527Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Conducting two-phase silicon oxide layers for thin-film silicon solar cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

Peter Buehlmann ,
Julien Bailat ,
Andrea Feltrin  and
Christophe Ballif
Peter Buehlmann
Affiliation:
IMT, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Julien Bailat
Affiliation:
Now at Oerlikon Solar-Lab, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Andrea Feltrin
Affiliation:
IMT, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Christophe Ballif
Affiliation:
IMT, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Get access

Abstract

We present optical properties and microstructure analyses of hydrogenated silicon suboxide layers containing silicon nanocrystals (nc-SiOx:H). This material is especially adapted for the use as intermediate reflecting layer (IRL) in micromorph silicon tandem cells due to its low refractive index and relatively high transverse conductivity. The nc-SiOx:H is deposited by very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition from a SiH4/CO2/H2/PH3 gas mixture. We show the influence of H2/SiH4 and CO2/SiH4 gas ratios on the layer properties as well as on the micromorph cell when the nc-SiOx:H is used as IRL. The lowest refractive index achieved in a working micromoph cell is 1.71 and the highest initial micromoph efficiency with such an IRL is 13.3 %.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1123: Symposium P – Photovoltaic Materials and Manufacturing Issues , 2008 , 1123-P03-09
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Bennett, M. S., Newton, J. L., and Rajan, K., Proceedings of the 7th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Sevilla, Spain (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1987), pp. 544–548.Google Scholar
2. Fischer, D. et al. in proceedings of the 25th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, Washington D. C., USA (IEEE, New York, 1996), pp. 1053–1056.Google Scholar
3. Yamamoto, K. et al. , Solar Energy 77 (2004) pp. 939–949.Google Scholar
4. Buehlmann, P. et al. , Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 143505 (2007).Google Scholar
5. Lambertz, A. et al. , 22th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Milan, Italy (WIP, Munich, 2007), pp. 1839–1842.Google Scholar
6. Iftiquar, S. M., J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 31, 1630 (1998); High Temperature Material Processes, 6 (2002)Google Scholar
7. Lucovsky, G. et al. , Phys. Rev. B 28, 3225 (1983); Sol. En. Mat. 8, 165 (1982).Google Scholar
8. Droz, C., Vallat-Sauvain, E., Bailat, J., Feitknecht, L., and Shah, A., Proceedings of 17th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Munich, Germany (WIP, Munich, 2002), pp. 2917–2920.Google Scholar
9. Dominé, D. et al. , 23th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Valencia, Spain (WIP, Munich, 2008), pp. 2091–2095.Google Scholar