Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
A review of recent advances in polycrystalline thin film solar cells is presented. A comparison of the fundamental mechanisms and the performance of heterojunction, Schottky barrier, metal-insulator-semiconductor, inversion layer and p-n junction devices is given. The emphasis is placed on devices fabricated by low temperature processes, and the influence of grain boundaries on carrier recombination and transport is discussed.