Vacuum deposited polycrystalline silicon films for solar cell applications. Quarterly report, September 15-December 31, 1979

Technical Report · Sat Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5288114· OSTI ID:5288114

Feldman, C.; Arrington, C. H.; Blum, N. A.; Satkiewicz, F. G.

Polycrystalline silicon films 14-22 ..mu..m thick and with average grain diameters of 20-40 ..mu..m were deposited by vacuum deposition onto both ceramic and sapphire substrates which were previously coated with a thin (1-2 ..mu..m) TiB/sub 2/ conducting layer. The large grains are the result of an interaction in the initial growth stages between silicon and TiB/sub 2/. SIMS studies of B/Ti/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, B/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, and Ti/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, interactions are reported as part of a continuing investigation of TiB/sub 2/ formation and silicon interactions on the TiB/sub 2/ surface. The increase in grain size has led to an improvement in the open-circuit voltage V/sub oc/, but not to an increase in the short-circuit current J/sub sc/. Capacitance-voltage measurements give results characteristic of an abrupt junction and a build-in voltage V/sub D/ consistent with the measured doping levels. A simple method for measuring the minority carrier diffusion length in the base region L/sub n/ is described. The measurements indicate that there is little change in L/sub n/ between large (20-40 ..mu..m) and small (approx. 5 ..mu..m) grained samples.

• Research Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ., Laurel, MD (USA). Applied Physics Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-77CH00178
• OSTI ID: 5288114
• Report Number(s): SERI/PR-8278-1-T1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360601 -- Other Materials-- Preparation & Manufacture
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
BORIDES
BORON COMPOUNDS
CERAMICS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CORUNDUM
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALS
DEPOSITION
DIFFUSION LENGTH
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
FILMS
GRAIN SIZE
INORGANIC ION EXCHANGERS
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
ION MICROPROBE ANALYSIS
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
MICROSTRUCTURE
MINERALS
MULLITE
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POLYCRYSTALS
SAPPHIRE
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
SIZE
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SPECTRAL RESPONSE
SPECTROSCOPY
SUBSTRATES
SURFACE COATING
TITANIUM BORIDES
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
VACUUM COATING