Real Time Optics of the Growth of Textured Silicon Films in Photovoltaics: Final Technical Report, 1 August 1999--12 August 2002
Novel optical instruments, including single and dual rotating-compensator multichannel ellipsometers, have been designed and developed to probe the evolution of the microstructure, spectroscopic optical properties, and other materials characteristics during the fabrication and processing of individual thin films and thin-film structures used in photovoltaic devices. These instruments provide a foundation for next-generation process design/control and metrology in existing and future photovoltaics technologies. In this project, the materials system studied in the greatest detail was thin-film silicon, fabricated at low temperatures by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Real-time measurements of such thin films by multichannel ellipsometry have established deposition phase diagrams that provide guiding principles for multistep fabrication of high-performance amorphous (a-Si:H) and microcrystalline (mc-Si:H) solar cells. Such phase diagrams have also served to disprove conventional wisdom in the fabrication of thin-film solar cell structures, thus avoiding future unproductive research efforts.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-99-GO10337
- OSTI ID:
- 15004830
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/SR-520-34823; AAD-9-18668-09; TRN: US200321%%219
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 Oct 2003; Related Information: Work performed by The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
DEPOSITION
ELLIPSOMETERS
ELLIPSOMETRY
FABRICATION
MICROSTRUCTURE
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
OPTICS
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PROBES
PROCESSING
SILICON
SOLAR CELLS
THIN FILMS
PV
ROTATING-COMPENSATOR MULTICHANNEL ELLIPSOMETERS
SPECTROSCOPIC OPTICAL PROPERTIES
THIN FILM
PLASMA-ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
AMORPHOUS SILICON
MICROCRYSTALLINE SILICON
TRANSPARENT CONDUCTING OXIDE (TCO)
METALLIC RETRO-REFLECTING
PARASITIC ABSORBER
SOLAR ENERGY - PHOTOVOLTAICS