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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Stable, High-Efficiency Amorphous-Silicon Solar Cells with Low Hydrogen Content: Final Subcontract Report, 1 March 1991 - 31 March 1993

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10184141· OSTI ID:10184141
This report describes a 21-month project to demonstrate amorphous-silicon (a-Si) solar cells with high stabilized conversion efficiency. The objective was to develop a research program spanning material issues (more stable a-Si and better a-SiGe alloys) and device issues (more stable a-Si-based solar cells) with the goal of high stabilized solar cell efficiency. The Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC) produced and analyzed the stability of a-Si films and solar cells with reduced hydrogen content (2--6%). A thermodynamic model of defect formation was developed that describes the high-temperature degraded state of a solar cell. An analysis of bifacial current voltage and quant-efficiency insults for a-SiGe p-i-n devices with transparent front and back contacts provided information about the influence of alloying and band-gap grading on hole and electron collection. IEC also studied the stability of graded and ungraded a-SiGe solar cells using bifacial devices to learn about the relative degradation of hole and electron collection, and concludes that degradation of the photoconductivity of a-SiGe materials does not agree with degradation observed in solar cells.
Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
DOE Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308;
OSTI ID:
10184141
Report Number(s):
NREL/TP-451-5756; ON: DE93018214
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English