Improved {micro}c-Si p-layer and a-Si i-layer materials using VHF plasma deposition

Book · Wed Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:304327

Deng, X; Jones, S J; Liu, T; Izu, M; Ovshinsky, S R ^[1]

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1. Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., Troy, MI (United States)

Microcrystalline Si p-layers have been widely used in a-Si solar cell technology to achieve high efficiency. To further improve the solar cell performance, the authors have studied the deposition of high quality {micro}c-Si p-layer material using a modified very high frequency (VHF) plasma enhanced CVD process and consequently have improved the solar cell current. This improvement was primarily in the blue response which leads to a 6--10% improvement in the overall solar cell efficiency. In addition, the authors have explored the deposition of a-Si at high rates using VHF plasma, and compared these VHF i-layers with RF plasma deposited i-layers. With improved deposition conditions, VHF intrinsic layers deposited at a rate up to 15 {angstrom}/s show similar device performance and light stability to VHF and RF i-layers deposited at low rates, and show higher stability than RF i-layers deposited at high rates in the same deposition system. A 10.9% single-junction solar cell was fabricated using a VHF deposited i-layer.

• Sponsoring Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)
• OSTI ID: 304327
• Report Number(s): CONF-970953--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
AMORPHOUS STATE
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FABRICATION
PERFORMANCE
POLYCRYSTALS
QUANTUM EFFICIENCY
SILICON
SILICON SOLAR CELLS