Amorphous boron-silicon-hydrogen alloys for thin-film heterojunction solar cells. Final report, 1 June 1980-31 May 1981
Amorphous boron-silicon-hydrogen (a-B:Si:H) films have been grown in dc proximity glow discharges in atmospheres containing B/sub 2/H/sub 6/, SiH/sub 4/ and H/sub 2/. The films are p-type and exhibit conductivities as high as approx. 3 x 10/sup -4/ ..cap omega../sup -1/ cm/sup -1/. The conductivity of a-B:Si:H films increases with substrate temperature and annealing temperature for temperatures up to 500/sup 0/C (highest investigated). However, increasing the conductivity causes the optical gap to decrease. Amorphous boron-silicon-hydrogen alloys have been used to make heterojunction contacts to hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films. The best conversion efficiency for these heterojunction devices is approx. 1.65% as compared to approx. 5.5% for a-Si:H p-i-n devices made in the same system with similar deposition conditions. The performance of a-B:Si:H/a-Si:H heterojunction cells appears to be limited mainly by a large density of interface states that act as trapping and recombination centers. Also investigated is another p-type, wide bandgap material, namely, microcrystalline silicon-carbon-hydrogen (m-Si:C:H). Three techniques to make m-Si:C:H films were explored: glow-discharge deposition, thermal annealing of a-Si:C:H films, and laser annealing of a-Si:C:H films. While results indicate that laser annealing is the most promising approach, the formation of microblisters prevented us from fabricating devices.
- Research Organization:
- Solar Energy Research Inst. (SERI), Golden, CO (United States); RCA Labs., Princeton, NJ (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-77CH00178
- OSTI ID:
- 5356335
- Report Number(s):
- SERI/PR-0-9010-4; ON: DE82016854
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Amorphous boron-silicon-hydrogen alloys for thin-film heterojunction solar cells. Quarterly technical progress report No. 1, 1 June 1980-31 August 1980
Amorphous thin films for solar-cell applications. Quarterly report No. 1, 11 September-10 December 1979
Related Subjects
BORON ALLOYS
DEPOSITION
SILICON ALLOYS
CARBON ADDITIONS
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
HETEROJUNCTIONS
ABSORPTION SPECTRA
AMORPHOUS STATE
ANNEALING
BORANES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
GLOW DISCHARGES
HYDROGEN
LASER-RADIATION HEATING
RECOMBINATION
SILANES
TRAPPING
ALLOYS
BORON COMPOUNDS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
HEAT TREATMENTS
HEATING
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
JUNCTIONS
NONMETALS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA HEATING
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SPECTRA
140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion