Use of gas jet deposition technique to prepare a-Si:H solar cells
- Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., Troy, MI (United States)
- United Solar Systems Corp., Troy, MI (United States)
The authors have recently tested the feasibility of using a new Gas Jet deposition technique to deposit hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) i-layers for solar cells at high deposition rates. With this technique, a source gas flow is forced at high speeds through a jet nozzle pointed at the heated substrate surface. Before reaching the substrate surface, the gas is activated by an electron beam which produces radicals which deposit on the substrate surface forming the thin film. The authors have prepared single-junction a-Si:H nip cells with 9.4% and 8.7% efficiencies at i-layer deposition rates of 2 {angstrom}/s and 5 {angstrom}/s, respectively. Initial light soaking results suggest that these cells are as stable as those having the same i-layer thickness prepared using the PECVD technique. The authors plan to further develop this new deposition technique to demonstrate that a-Si:H and a-SiGe:H cells can be prepared at faster deposition rates with even higher stable efficiencies.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 304344
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970953--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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