Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications
Quantitative correlation of high quality a-Si:H p-i-n solar cell characteristics with properties of the bulk and p/i interface region
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
1-1-2000
Volume
2000-January
Journal
Conference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference
First Page
944
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.1109/PVSC.2000.916040
Last Page
947
Abstract
Studies have been carried out on high quality hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) p-i-n solar cells with protocrystalline i-layers to establish the nature of p/i interfaces and to quantify their contributions to various solar cell characteristics. The p-a-SiC:H:B/i-a-Si:H/n-μC-Si:H:P cell structures used had the a-Si:H i-layers deposited from hydrogen diluted silane with R=[H2]/[SiH4]=10. The high quality p/i interface regions obtained with R=10, indicated by the high and stable open circuit voltage (Voc) values, were further improved by increasing R in the 200Å of a-Si:H adjacent to the a-SiC:H layer. From the systematic improvement and ability to obtain p/i interface regions with outstanding quality, it was possible to track their contributions to cell characteristics relative to those from the bulk. Results of dark current voltage (JD-V) and short circuit current-open circuit voltage (JSC-VOC) characteristics are presented which clearly demonstrate that even high quality interface regions in p-i-n cells can mask some contributions of protocrystalline bulk layers. Results are also presented and discussed on how the relative contributions of bulk and p/i interfaces can be isolated and quantified so they can be used as inputs for reliable analysis of solar cell characteristics.