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Degradation Behavior of a-Si:H Pin Solar Cells With Intentionally O-Contaminated i-Layers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

W. Krühler  and
E. Gonzel
W. Krühler
Affiliation:
Research Laboratories of Siemens AG, Otto-Hahn-Ring 6, D-8000 München 83, Federal Republic of Germany
E. Gonzel
Affiliation:
Research Laboratories of Siemens AG, Otto-Hahn-Ring 6, D-8000 München 83, Federal Republic of Germany
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Abstract

The discussion about the influence of oxygen on the degradation be-havior of a-Si:H pin solar cells is now as before controversial. Therefore, we prepared a-Si:H pin solar cells having different amounts of O contami-nation in the i-layer by adding O2 gas to the silane gas during the glow-discharge deposition of the i-layer. The admixture of O2 gas was in the 0 ppm to 1000 ppm range resulting in an O concentration in the i-layer of 1.10190/cm3 to 3.1020 0/cm3 determined by SIMS measurements. Then we inves-tigated the long-term degradation behavior of these cells, exposing them for about 270 h to white light of 100 mW/cm2 intensity. During the first 20 h the cell efficiencies dropped relatively fast to about 80 % of the initial value and then more slowly to about 60 % after 270 h. The degradation of the cells may be slightly different during the first 20 h, but this has nothing to do with the O concentration. The normalized efficiency values meet all at the 60 % level after the long-term light exposure for 270 h. We there-fore conclude that the degradation behavior of pin a-Si:H solar cells after long-term exposure is not dependent on the O concentration in the range investigated. At O concentrations higher than about 5.1020 cm−3, the den-sity of states increases rapidly and the electrical properties of the solar cells deteriorate, making it difficult to clarify the true influence of oxygen on the degradation behavior.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 95: Symposium E – Amorphous Silicon Semiconductors--Pure and Hydrogenated , 1987 , 583
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1987

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References

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