Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
A-Si:H p+-i-n+ solar cells have been made employing plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition at frequencies between 30–80 MHz. Here, only the i-layer was fabricated at these very high frequencies (VHF). Both the p+- and n+-layer were made using 13.56 MHz. A previous study has shown the material quality to depend on mainly the applied rf-power, and only slightly on the frequency. It should be noted that for homogeneity reasons a certain optimized pressure is required for each frequency. There is a clear correlation between material quality and solar cell parameters. An initial efficiency of 10 % has been obtained for cells deposited at 65 MHz using a low power density, while the deposition rate still is 2–3 times higher than the one at 13.56 MHz. Light-soaking reveals stabilisation at 6 % for the best cell, which compares well to conventional 13.56 MHz cells.