Performance and modeling of amorphous silicon solar cells soaked at high light intensity

Pin solar cells were aged under high-intensity illumination at 60°C, well into saturation of their conversion efficiency. The cell characteristics were measured at intervals and were modeled numerically with a quantitative optoelectronic model. The i-layer defect density was measured separately. The results of the model agree well with the experimentally determined light-soaking dependent solar cell performance up to saturation. Saturation is reached at a time estimated to be equivalent to real-life operation of ~20 years. The agreement suggests that the light-induced defects in the bulk of the i-layer control the light-induced degradation of pin cells