Effects of nonuniformity of the insulating layer on MIS solar cells

Recently, MIS solar cells have received much attention, because of their enhanced photovoltaic response compared to the MS solar cells. Some theories have been reported which deal with the effects of the insulating layer on the performance of the solar devices. However, it has been established that the silicon/silicon dioxide interface is rough, and therefore, the insulating layer cannot be expected to be uniform. Deviation from perfect interfaces may result in a large change in the electrical characteristics of the solar devices. A computation is presented which shows this effect can be significant and may make identification of other effects difficult.