Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T12:23:37.657Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Impurity Study of Optical Properties in Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide for Thin-Film Solar Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Xiaonan Li
Xiaonan Li*
Affiliation:
[email protected], NREL, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, Colorado, 80401, United States, 303-384-6428, 303-384-7600
Get access

Abstract

Tin oxide (SnO2) is a durable, inexpensive transparent conducting oxide (TCO) material used for thin-film photovoltaic devices. However, the optical properties of conducting SnO2:F are generally not as good as in other conducting TCO materials such as ITO and ZnO:Al. Our previous analyses indicate that for thin-film solar cells, improving the optical properties of SnO2-coated glass could enhance photon collection and gain up to 10% additional photocurrent. Previously, we showed that some commercial SnO2 samples could have much higher optical absorption than others [2]. In this work, we continue our study on causes that could contribute to the high optical absorption of SnO2 films. The SnO2:F samples are fabricated by low-pressure metal-organic chemical vapor deposition or atmospheric-pressure chemical vapor deposition with tin precursors that includes different amounts of chlorine. Optical, electrical, and compositional analyses were performed. In addition to the free-carrier-introduced optical absorption, the non-active dopant also impacts the optical absorption. Among the SnO2 films fabricated with different precursors, the optical properties show a relationship based on the level of chlorine in the precursors and films. With a low-optical-absorption SnO2 layer, the solar cell could have better photon collection and a higher short-circuit current density.

Keywords

optical propertieschemical vapor deposition (CVD) (deposition)thin film
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1165: Symposium M – Thin-Film Compound Semiconductor Photovoltaics–2009 , 2009 , 1165-M06-04
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. Ullal, H.S. and Roedern, B. von, Proc. 22 22nd nd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference PVSEC, Milan, Italy, September 3–7, (2007).Google Scholar
2. Li, X., Pankow, J., To, B., and Gessert, T., Comparison between etween research esearch-grade rade and nd commercially ommercially available Sn vailable SnO2 for thin hin-film CdTe ilm solar olar cells,” Proc. 33rd IEEE Photovolatics Specialists Conf.Google Scholar
3. Li, X., Ribelin, R., Mahathongdy, Y., Albin, D., Dhere, R., Rose, D., Asher, S., Moutinho, H., and Sheldon, P., AIP Conference Proceedings 462, p. 230, (1999).Google Scholar
4. Pankove, J.I., Optical Processes in Semiconductors Semiconductors, Dover Publication, Inc., New York, p. 75, (1971).Google Scholar
5. Seto, J.Y.W., J. Appl. Phys. 46, 5247 (1975).Google Scholar
6. Li, X., Bai, M., Pankow, J., Asher, S.E., Moutiho, H., and Gessert, T., Proc. MRS Symp. 1012 Y02–04, 51, (2007).Google Scholar