Comprehensive research on the stability and electronic properties of a-Si:H and a-SiGe:H alloys and devices. Final subcontract report, 10 March 1991--30 August 1994
- Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames, IA (United States)
This report describes work on the growth of a-Si:H and a-(Si,Ge):H materials and devices using well-controlled growth techniques. The a-Si:H materials were grown at higher temperatures (300{degrees}-375{degrees}C) using electron-cyclotron-resonance (ECR) plasma techniques with a remote H beam. These films have excellent electronic quality and show significant improvements in stability compared with glow-discharge-produced a-Si:H materials. Several problems were encountered during the fabrication of devices in these materials, and we were able to overcome them by a systematic work on buffer layers in these cells. We also studied alternative designs for improving the stability of a-Si:H cells and produced graded-gap a-Si:H cells using glow-discharge that are more stable than comparable standard, ungraded glow discharge devices. Finally, systematic work was done to produce good-quality a-(Si,Ge):H films, using triode radio frequency (RF) glow-discharge with ion bombardment during growth. Diagnostic devices were made using these films, and the properties of the material, such as Urbach energies and hole mobility-lifetime products, were measured in these devices. We found a systematic increase in the Urbach energies, and a corresponding decrease in the hole and electron {mu}{tau} products, as the Ge content of the alloys increases.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames, IA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-83CH10093
- OSTI ID:
- 48752
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/TP-411-7695; ON: DE95004088
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Apr 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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