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Electric Field Profile in Jic-Si:H P-I-N Devices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

N. Wyrsch
Affiliation:
IMT, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
N. Beck
Affiliation:
IMT, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
J. Meier
Affiliation:
IMT, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
P. Torres
Affiliation:
IMT, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
A. Shah
Affiliation:
IMT, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
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Abstract

Solar cells based on microcrystalline silicon (ptc-Si:H) have demonstrated remarkable efficiencies and have been successfully incorporated in tandem structures; however, little work has so far been devoted to the understanding of these devices. The objective of this paper is to obtain more insight into their physical functioning by extensive characterisation of μc-Si:H devices. Charge-collection experiments shows that high electric field E(x) is present throughout the entire i-layer of thick p-i-n device. Furthermore, from capacitance studies, one concludes that the electric field profile is partly concentrated at grain boundaries. In contrast with these two observations, spectral response under forward bias voltage show that thick [tc-Si:H p-i-n devices are (unlike a-Si:H p-i-n devices) not fully field-controlled.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1998

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References

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