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Solution of the ZnO/p contact problem in a-Si:H solar cells

Conference ·
OSTI ID:208112
This paper addresses the problem of preparing a good p-layer contact with zinc oxide as TCO. The approach was to deposit pin cells with different p-layer recipes on ZnO coated SnO{sub 2}:F and on uncoated SnO{sub 2}:F in one run. The pin cells prepared on the ZnO surface exhibit a lower fill factor (FF). The experiments demonstrate that the hydrogen interaction with the ZnO surface plays the most decisive role for the ZnO/p contact. The authors explain the observed effects using a band diagram of the ZnO/p interface and show that the accumulation layer at the ZnO surface--caused by atomic hydrogen in the plasma--is responsible for the low FF in pin cells. Based on this model the contact problem is solved by introducing a {micro}c-n-Si intralayer between ZnO nd p layer resulting in an identical high FF on both ZnO and SnO{sub 2} substrates.
OSTI ID:
208112
Report Number(s):
CONF-941203--; ISBN 0-7803-1459-X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English