Amorphous thin films for solar-cell applications. Quarterly report No. 1, 11 September-10 December 1979

Technical Report · Sat Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5355333· OSTI ID:5355333

Carlson, D. E.; Crandall, R. S.; Dresner, J.; Goldstein, B.; Hanak, J. J.; Moore, A. R.; Pankove, J. I.; Weakliem, H. A.

Research progress on amorphous Si:H solar cells is described. Tasks include theoretical modeling, deposition and doping studies, experimental characterization of a-Si:H, formation of solar cell structures, and evaluation of solar cell parameters. A new method for determining the drift mobility of majority carriers in doped a-Si:H is discussed. Deposition and doping studies have been performed in an rf magnetron discharge system. Mass spectroscopy has been used to show that the major impurities in the SiH/sub 4/ discharge occur at m/e values of 45, 47, and 49 at concentrations 10/sup -4/-10/sup -5/ times that of the principal ion, SiH/sub 3//sup +/. Boron implantation of an i-n structure produces a p-i-n cell with an enhanced V/sub oc/ but reduced J/sub sc/ as compared to cells in a nonimplanted region. Laser annealing at power densities up to 60 MW/cm/sup 2/ (30-ns pulse) causes partial crystallization of the a-Si:H, but there are no significant changes in the photoluminescence spectrum or the hydrogen content. the photo-Hall effect in undoped a-Si:H has been measured as a function of wave-length and temperature. The photoelectromagnetic spectrum for the short-circuit current has been used to estimate a hole diffusion length of approx.0.1-0.3 ..mu..m in undoped a-Si:H. Recently p-i-n cells have been fabricated with conversion efficiencies up to approx. 4.5%. Both boron and phosphorus concentrations were found to vary inversely with rf power for doped a-Si:H films made in an rf capacitive discharge. Solar cells have also been fabricated with a-(Si,Ge):H alloys. (WHK)

• Research Organization: RCA Labs., Princeton, NJ (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-77CH00178
• OSTI ID: 5355333
• Report Number(s): SERI/PR-8254-1-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
ALLOYS
AMORPHOUS STATE
ANNEALING
BORON ADDITIONS
BORON ALLOYS
CARRIER MOBILITY
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DATA
DATA FORMS
DEPOSITION
DIFFUSION LENGTH
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRON TUBES
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
FILMS
GRAPHS
HALL EFFECT
HEAT TREATMENTS
HEATING
HYDROGENATION
IMPURITIES
INFORMATION
LASER-RADIATION HEATING
LUMINESCENCE
MAGNETRONS
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT
MICROWAVE TUBES
MOBILITY
PHOSPHORUS ADDITIONS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PLASMA HEATING
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SPECTRAL RESPONSE
SPECTROSCOPY