Fabrication and characteristics of n-Si/ c-Si/ p-Si heterojunction solar cells using hot-wire CVD

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 516; no. 5; pp. 747 - 750
• Main Authors: Lien, Shui-Yang, Wu, Bing-Rui, Liu, Jun-Chin, Wuu, Dong-Sing
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01.01.2008; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electronics; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Heterojunction solar cell; Hot-wire chemical vapor deposition; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Microcrystalline silicon; Microelectronic fabrication (materials and surfaces technology); Natural energy; Photovoltaic conversion; Physics; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells; Solar energy; Hot-wire chemical vapor deposition; Microcrystalline silicon; Heterojunction solar cell; Buffer layer; Hot filament chemical vapor deposition; Chemical vapor deposition; Thin film; Double heterojunction; Solar cell; Microelectronic fabrication; Silicon addition; Silicon; Pretreatment
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2007.06.053

A double-side (bifacial) heterojunction (HJ) Si solar cell was fabricated using hot-wire chemical vapor deposition. The properties of n-type, intrinsic and p-type Si films were investigated. In these devices, the doped microcrystalline Si layers (n-type Si for emitter and p-type Si for back contact) are combined with and without a thin intrinsic amorphous Si buffer layer. The maximum temperature during the whole fabrication process was kept below 150 °C. The influence of hydrogen pre-treatment and n-Si emitter thickness on performance of solar cells have been studied. The best bifacial Si HJ solar cell (1 cm 2 sample) with an intrinsic layer yielded an active area conversion efficiency of 16.4% with an open circuit voltage of 0.645 V, short circuit current of 34.8 mA/cm 2 and fill factor of 0.73.