Fabrication of solution-processed hydrogenated amorphous silicon single-junction solar cells

Masuda, Takashi; Sotani, Naoya; Hamada, Hiroki; Matsuki, Yasuhiko; Shimoda, Tatsuya

doi:10.1063/1.4730614

Cited by 54 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Polysilanes can potentially be applied as p-type semiconductors in organic thin film solar cells, but few studies on polysilane solar cells have been reported [1] [8] [9] [10]. Doped polysilanes can act as n-type semiconductors, and while they have been applied in organic solar cells, further investigation is needed [11] [12]. Herein, polysilane thin films were spin-coated from solutions of poly-methylphenyl-silane (PMPS), dimethyl-polysilane (DMPS) and deca-phenyl-penta-silane (DPPS) with phosphorus (P).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of PBr<sub>3</sub> Addition to Polysilane Thin Films on Structures and Photovoltaic Properties

Nakagawa¹,

Oku²,

Suzuki³

et al. 2017

GSC

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Organic thin film solar cells are potential next generation solar cells. Many p-type semiconductors have been used in organic solar cells, but there have been far fewer reports involving n-type organic semiconductors. Developing new n-type organic semiconductors is therefore desirable. Polysilane thin films were spin-coated from solutions containing phosphorus (P), and the effects of P addition on film microstructures and electronic properties as n-type semiconductors were investigated. Microstructures of poly-methyl-phenylsilane (PMPS), dimethyl-polysilane (DMPS) and deca-phenyl-penta-silane (DPPS) thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. PMPS thin films doped with P (PMPS(P)) were amorphous upon annealing at 300˚C, while DMPS(P) and DPPS(P) thin films exhibited crystalline structures. PMPS(P) and DMPS(P) thin films exhibited decreased electrical resistances upon P doping. The energy gaps of PMPS(P), DMPS(P) and DPPS(P) were 3.5, 3.9 and 3.8 eV, respectively. Decreased photoluminescence intensities of PMPS, DMPS and DPPS were observed upon P doping. The desorption of phenyl and methyl groups from PMPS(P) thin films was observed from Raman scattering measurements. Solar cells containing polysilane(P)/poly[3-hexylthiophene] heterojunction structures were fabricated and exhibited photovoltaic behavior.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of PBr<sub>3</sub> Addition to Polysilane Thin Films on Structures and Photovoltaic Properties

Nakagawa¹,

Oku²,

Suzuki³

et al. 2017

GSC

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“…The specific resistivity of the Si films prepared from the liquid-Si ink could easily be reduced by hydrogen radical treatment to reduce dangling bonds. 27 The poly-Si film that was produced after annealing at 800 • C greatly improved upon the specific resistivity of the a-Si film as low as 2.0 × 10 3 Ω · cm. The specific resistivity of the nanoimprinted poly-Si pattern was 7.0 × 10 3 Ω · cm, which approaches that of a flat poly-Si film.…”

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confidence: 99%

Fabrication of n-type Si nanostructures by direct nanoimprinting with liquid-Si ink

et al. 2018

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Nanostructures of n-type amorphous silicon (a-Si) and polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) with a height of 270 nm and line widths of 110-165 nm were fabricated directly onto a substrate through a simple imprinting process that does not require vacuum conditions or photolithography. The n-type Liquid-Si ink was synthesized via photopolymerization of cyclopentasilane (Si5H10) and white phosphorus (P4). By raising the temperature from 160 °C to 200 °C during the nanoimprinting process, well-defined angular patterns were fabricated without any cracking, peeling, or deflections. After the nanoimprinting process, a-Si was produced by heating the nanostructures at 400°C-700 °C, and poly-Si was produced by heating at 800 °C. The dopant P diffuses uniformly in the Si films, and its concentration can be controlled by varying the concentration of P4 in the ink. The specific resistance of the n-type poly-Si pattern was 7.0 × 10−3Ω ⋅ cm, which is comparable to the specific resistance of flat n-type poly-Si films.

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“…A following excimer laser irradiation can transform the amorphous silicon (a-Si) film into polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si), a common method for silicon crystallization. Using this silicon ink, a-Si solar cells have been created, 11 as well as poly-Si thin-film transistors (TFTs) with mobilities that were more than 100 times higher than TFTs made from organic and metal-oxide inks. [10][11][12][13] By essentially using silicon as the base material, other advantages arise such as stability, knowledge of the material, and low-power consumption by being able to create complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry, which is often a challenge with the other ink materials.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Using this silicon ink, a-Si solar cells have been created, 11 as well as poly-Si thin-film transistors (TFTs) with mobilities that were more than 100 times higher than TFTs made from organic and metal-oxide inks. [10][11][12][13] By essentially using silicon as the base material, other advantages arise such as stability, knowledge of the material, and low-power consumption by being able to create complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry, which is often a challenge with the other ink materials. This silicon ink requires an annealing temperature of at least 350 C in order for the polysilane gel to cross-link sufficiently, 14 which is too high to be used on low-cost flexible substrates that have a low thermal budget such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) or paper.…”

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confidence: 99%

Solution-processed polycrystalline silicon on paper

Trifunovic

Shimoda

Ishihara

2015

Applied Physics Letters

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Printing electronics has led to application areas which were formerly impossible with conventional electronic processes. Solutions are used as inks on top of large areas at room temperatures, allowing the production of fully flexible circuitry. Commonly, research in these inks have focused on organic and metal-oxide ink materials due to their printability, while these materials lack in the electronic performance when compared to silicon electronics. Silicon electronics, on the other hand, has only recently found their way in solution processes. Printing of cyclopentasilane as the silicon ink has been conducted and devices with far superior electric performance have been made when compared to other ink materials. A thermal annealing step of this material, however, was necessary, which prevented its usage on inexpensive substrates with a limited thermal budget. In this work, we introduce a method that allows polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) production directly from the same liquid silicon ink using excimer laser irradiation. In this way, poly-Si could be formed directly on top of paper even with a single laser pulse. Using this method, poly-Si transistors were created at a maximum temperature of only 150C. This method allows silicon device formation on inexpensive, temperature sensitive substrates such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate or paper, which leads to applications that require low-cost but high-speed electronics. Printing electronics has aroused great interest in recent years in view of the low-cost manufacturability of electronic devices as well as the simplicity when compared to conventional device processing methods that require lithography and vacuum systems. Semiconductors printed as inks on arbitrary substrates have led to applications that were formerly impossible such as rollable displays or flexible bio-sensing systems. Semiconducting inks commonly researched in this field are organic and metal-oxide semiconductors.1-6 These materials have also found their way on paper substrates by using low temperature fabrication methods.7-9 These semiconductors, however, lack in their field-effect mobilities and reliability when compared to silicon. Silicon inks have also been investigated in recent years using cyclopentasilane (CPS); a silicon precursor which is liquid at room temperature and can transform into solid silicon by curing the ink to a polysilane and CPS sol-gel with ultraviolet (UV) light, causing the CPS ring-molecules to open and connect end-toend. 10 The polysilane chains cross-link with each other when heated to a temperature of at least 350 C forming hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). A following excimer laser irradiation can transform the amorphous silicon (a-Si) film into polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si), a common method for silicon crystallization. Using this silicon ink, a-Si solar cells have been created, 11 as well as poly-Si thin-film transistors (TFTs) with mobilities that were more than 100 times higher than TFTs made from organic and metal-oxide inks....

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Fabrication of solution-processed hydrogenated amorphous silicon single-junction solar cells

Cited by 54 publications

References 11 publications

Effects of PBr<sub>3</sub> Addition to Polysilane Thin Films on Structures and Photovoltaic Properties

Effects of PBr<sub>3</sub> Addition to Polysilane Thin Films on Structures and Photovoltaic Properties

Fabrication of n-type Si nanostructures by direct nanoimprinting with liquid-Si ink

Solution-processed polycrystalline silicon on paper

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Fabrication of solution-processed hydrogenated amorphous silicon single-junction solar cells

Cited by 54 publications

References 11 publications

Effects of PBr&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; Addition to Polysilane Thin Films on Structures and Photovoltaic Properties

Effects of PBr&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; Addition to Polysilane Thin Films on Structures and Photovoltaic Properties

Fabrication of n-type Si nanostructures by direct nanoimprinting with liquid-Si ink

Solution-processed polycrystalline silicon on paper

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Effects of PBr<sub>3</sub> Addition to Polysilane Thin Films on Structures and Photovoltaic Properties

Effects of PBr<sub>3</sub> Addition to Polysilane Thin Films on Structures and Photovoltaic Properties