Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-nmvwc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-03T20:44:30.655Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Use of A GAS Jet Technique to Prepare Microcrystalline Silicon Based Solar Cells at High I-Layer Deposition Rates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

S.J. Jones ,
R. Crucet ,
X. Deng ,
J. Doehler ,
R. Kopf ,
A. Myatt ,
D.V. Tsu  and
M. Izu
S.J. Jones
Affiliation:
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., Troy, MI 48084
R. Crucet
Affiliation:
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., Troy, MI 48084
X. Deng
Affiliation:
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., Troy, MI 48084
J. Doehler
Affiliation:
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., Troy, MI 48084
R. Kopf
Affiliation:
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., Troy, MI 48084
A. Myatt
Affiliation:
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., Troy, MI 48084
D.V. Tsu
Affiliation:
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., Troy, MI 48084
M. Izu
Affiliation:
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., Troy, MI 48084
Get access

Abstract

Using a Gas Jet thin film deposition technique, microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) materials were prepared at rates as high as 15-20 Å/s. The technique involves the use of a gas jet flow that is subjected to a high intensity microwave source. The quality of the material has been optimized through the variation of a number of deposition conditions including the substrate temperature, the gas flows, and the applied microwave power. The best films were made using deposition rates near 16 Å/s. These materials have been used as i-layers for red light absorbing, nip single-junction solar cells. Using a 610nm cutoff filter which only allows red light to strike the device, pre-light soaked currents as high as 10 mA/cm2 and 2.2-2.3% red-light pre-light soaked peak power outputs have been obtained for cells with i-layer thicknesses near 1 micron. This compares with currents of 10-11 mA/cm2 and 4% initial red-light peak power outputs obtained for high efficiency amorphous silicon germanium alloy (a-SiGe:H) devices. The AM1.5 white light efficiencies for these microcrystalline cells are 5.9-6.0%. While the efficiencies for the a-SiGe:H cells degrade by 15-20% after long term light exposure, the efficiencies for the microcrystalline cells before and after prolonged light exposure are similar, within measurement error. Considering these results, the Gas Jet deposition method is a promising technique for the deposition of μc-Si solar cells due to the ability to achieve reasonable stable efficiencies for cells at i-layer deposition rates (16 Å/s) which make large-scale production economically feasible.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 557: Symposium A – Amorphous and Heterogeneous Silicon Thin Films—Fundamentals to Devices—1999 , 1999 , 567
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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.For review, Luft, W., Proc. of 20th IEEE Photovoltaics Spec. Conf. 218 (1988).Google Scholar
2. Meier, J., Keppner, H., Dubail, S., Kroll, U., Torres, P., Pernet, P., Ziegler, Y., Selvan, J.A. Anna, Cuperus, J., Fischer, D., Shah, A., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 507, 139 (1998).Google Scholar
3. Doehler, J., Hudgens, S., Ovshinsky, SR., Dotter, B., Peedin, L. R., Krisko, J.M., Krisko, A., United States Patents 4,883,686 and 5,093,149 (1988).Google Scholar
4. Schellenberg, J., Mcleod, R., Mejia, S., Card, H., Kao, K., Appl. Phys. Lett., 48(2), 163 (1986).Google Scholar
5. Torres, P., Meier, J., Kroll, U., Beck, N., Keppner, H., Shah, A., 26th IEEE Photo. Sp. Con., 711(1997).Google Scholar
6. Rath, J., Zutphen, A. van, Meiling, H., Schropp, R., Mat. Res. Soc. Proc. 467, 445 (1997).Google Scholar