Title :
High absorption-coefficient and stable a-Si for high-efficiency solar cells
Author :
Nakano, S. ; Okamoto, S. ; Takahama, T. ; Nishikuni, M. ; Ninomiya, K. ; Nakamura, N. ; Tsuda, S. ; Ohnishi, M. ; Kishi, Y. ; Kuwano, Y.
Author_Institution :
Sanyo Electr. Co. Ltd., Osaka, Japan
Abstract :
A total area conversion efficiency of 10.2% has been obtained for a 100 cm2 a-Si solar cell. To further improve efficiency, a novel approach to preparing a-Si:H at a high substrate temperature (Ts) with low impurity contamination has been proposed. High-quality, stable a-Si with a high absorption coefficient and low Si-H2 bond density has been obtained by this method. The collection efficiency in the long wavelength region has been markedly increased with an a-Si solar cell using a high-Ts i-layer. Problems due to high-Ts deposition have been studied from the viewpoint of its application to solar cells. A novel cell structure with a flexible buffer is proposed to overcome these problems. A highly conductive p-type a-Si1-xCx (x~0.55) alloy with a low absorption coefficient and high stability against thermal annealing has been developed using the controlled plasma magnetron method. This newly developed p-layer has been found to be well-suited to high-Ts a-Si solar cells
Keywords :
amorphous semiconductors; elemental semiconductors; silicon; solar cells; 10.2 percent; absorption coefficient; amorphous Si solar cells; bond density; collection efficiency; controlled plasma magnetron method; flexible buffer; impurity contamination; semiconductor; stability; substrate temperature; Absorption; Annealing; Bonding; Contamination; Impurities; Photovoltaic cells; Plasma stability; Plasma temperature; Thermal conductivity; Thermal stability;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1990., Conference Record of the Twenty First IEEE
Conference_Location :
Kissimmee, FL
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1990.111890
