Microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiOx:H) alloys: A versatile material for application in thin film silicon single and tandem junction solar cells

Smirnov, Vladimir; Lambertz, Andreas; Grootoonk, B.; Carius, R.; Finger, F.

doi:10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2011.12.019

Cited by 51 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…During the past years, hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon oxide (nc-SiO x :H) fabricated by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) has been developed as a versatile material for use in silicon based solar cells, e.g., as an intermediate reflective layer (silicon oxide intermediate reflector, SOIR) in amorphous-silicon (aSi:H)/microcrystalline-silicon (lc-Si:H) tandem solar cells that increases light harvesting in the a-Si:H top cell. [1][2][3] Since the electrical and optical parameters of the material are tunable within a wide range, 4 several other applications for solar cells have been explored. The material has been used as a transparent n-type 5 or p-type contact for heterojunction, 6,7 and thin-film silicon solar cells [8][9][10][11] or as a dielectric layer in back reflectors for a thin film single-junction 12 or doublejunction solar cells.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resolving the nanostructure of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited nanocrystalline SiOx layers for application in solar cells

Klingsporn

Kirner

Villringer

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Physics

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Nanocrystalline silicon suboxides (nc-SiO x ) have attracted attention during the past years for the use in thin-film silicon solar cells. We investigated the relationships between the nanostructure as well as the chemical, electrical, and optical properties of phosphorous, doped, nc-SiO 0.8 :H fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The nanostructure was varied through the sample series by changing the deposition pressure from 533 to 1067 Pa. The samples were then characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, Raman spectroscopy, aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected-area electron diffraction, and a specialized plasmon imaging method. We found that the material changed with increasing pressure from predominantly amorphous silicon monoxide to silicon dioxide containing nanocrystalline silicon. The nanostructure changed from amorphous silicon filaments to nanocrystalline silicon filaments, which were found to cause anisotropic electron transport. Published by AIP Publishing. [http://dx

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resolving the nanostructure of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited nanocrystalline SiOx layers for application in solar cells

Klingsporn

Kirner

Villringer

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Physics

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“…After successful application of n-type microcrystalline silicon oxide μc-SiO x :H in thin-film silicon solar cells as front-and backcontact doped layer and as an intermediate reflector [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] in tandem cells we now focus on the development of p-type μc-SiO x :H material as a window layer and as part of the intermediate reflector.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boron-doped hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiOx:H) for application in thin-film silicon solar cells

Lambertz

Finger

Holländer

et al. 2012

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids

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“…another possible application of nc-SiO x :H layers in multi-junction Si TF solar cells. By using specifically optically tuned nc-SiO x :H layers, these allow to match the generated current between the adjoining sub-cells in a multi-junction solar cell by introducing an abrupt change in n [24,25]. Furthermore, nc-SiO x :H layers can reduce the parasitic absorption at the rear of Si TF solar cells when applied as back contact layers (BC, "V" in Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Versatility of doped nanocrystalline silicon oxide for applications in silicon thin-film and heterojunction solar cells

Richter

Smirnov

Lambertz

et al. 2018

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells

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To optimize the optical response of a solar cell, specifically designed materials with appropriate optoelectronic properties are needed. Owing to the unique microstructure of doped nanocrystalline silicon oxide, nc-SiO x :H, this material is able to cover an extensive range of optical and electrical properties. However, applying nc-SiO x :H thin-films in photovoltaic devices necessitates an individual adaptation of the material properties according to the specific functions in the device. In this study, we investigated the detailed microstructure of doped nc-SiO x :H films via atom probe tomography at the sub-nm scale, thereby, for the first time, revealing the three-dimensional distribution of the nc-Si network. Furthermore, n-and p-type nc-SiO x :H layers with various optical and electrical properties were implemented as a window, back contact, and an intermediate reflector layer in silicon heterojunction and multi-junction thin-film solar cells with a focus on the key aspects for adapting the material properties to the specific functions. Here, nc-SiO x :H effectively reduced the parasitic absorption and opened new possibilities for the photon management in the solar cells, thereby, demonstrating the versatility of this material. Remarkably, using our adapted nc-SiO x :H layers in distinct functions enabled us to achieve a combined short circuit current density of 15.1 mA cm -2 for the two a-Si:H sub-cells in an a-Si:H/a-Si:H/µc-Si:H triplejunction thin-film solar cell and an active area efficiency of 21.4 % was realized for a silicon heterojunction solar cell.2

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Microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiOx:H) alloys: A versatile material for application in thin film silicon single and tandem junction solar cells

Cited by 51 publications

References 13 publications

Resolving the nanostructure of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited nanocrystalline SiOx layers for application in solar cells

Resolving the nanostructure of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited nanocrystalline SiOx layers for application in solar cells

Boron-doped hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiOx:H) for application in thin-film silicon solar cells

Versatility of doped nanocrystalline silicon oxide for applications in silicon thin-film and heterojunction solar cells

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