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Amorphous Silicon-Carbon Alloys for Solar Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 1993

Yuan-Min Li
Yuan-Min Li*
Affiliation:
Solarex Corporation, Thin Film Division, 826 Newtown-Yardley Road, Newtown, Pennsylvania, 18940 USA
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Abstract

Recent efforts to optimize undoped, glow-discharge hydrogenated amorphous silicon-carbon alloys (a-SiC:H) with 1.9-2.0 eV bandgaps for solar cell applications are reviewed. Hydrogen dilution coupled with relatively low substrate temperatures (below 200 °C) have led to great improvements in the optical and phototransport properties of a-SiC:H films. The issue of alternative carbon feedstocks other than methane (CH4) will be explored. The improved a-SiC:H alloys have resulted in solar cells with high open circuit voltages (V∞ > 1.0 volt) and high fill factors (> 0.7). Further, the a-SiC:H solar cell instability upon prolonged light exposure has been much reduced. Correlation will be made between the properties of bulk undoped a-SiC:H films and the performance of p-i-nsingle junction solar cells using corresponding a-SiC:H thin i-layers.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 297: Symposium A – Amorphous Silicon Technology - 1993 , 1993 , 803
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1993

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