The role of ZnO:Al films in the performance of amorphous-silicon based tandem solar cells

Abstract

Degradation of textured SnO 2 :F films in glow-discharge hydrogen plasmas has been minimized by deposition ZnO:Al films onto them. This coating also prevents the diffusion of Sn atoms from SnO 2 :F into the stacked silicon layers of solar cells, while the transmittance and sheet resistivity remain unaltered. Another important aspect is the rear reflection at the back contact. Use of a ZnO 2 :Al layer as a back reflector at the n + /metal interface in a-Si:H tandem solar cells has been found to absorb light of the long-wavelength (λ > 600 nm) region in the solar spectrum. This improves the short-circuit current density and thereby the efficiency of amorphous silicon solar cells to a great extent.

Simulation Study of Optical Transmission Properties of ZnO Thin Film Deposited on Dif-ferent Substrates

“…Due to these properties ZnO is a promising material for electronic or optoelectronic applications such as solar cells (anti-reflecting coating and transparent conducting materials), gas sensors, liquid crystal displays, heat mirrors, surface acoustic wave devices etc. [4][5][6]. In addition to the traditional applications ZnO thin films could also be used in integrated optics and gas sensors [7].…”

On the deactivation of the dopant and electronic structure in reactively sputtered transparent Al-doped ZnO thin films

“…as transparent thin film transistors [1], solar cells [2,3] and UV light emitting diodes [4]. Among materials with n-type conductivity, zinc oxide with a Wurtzite structure (w-ZnO, P6 3 mc space group) doped with trivalent metal ions [5] (Al 3+ , Ga 3+ , In 3+ ) represents a promising alternative to indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) and fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO 2 :F).…”

Effects of intermediate metal layer on the properties of Ga–Al doped ZnO/metal/Ga–Al doped ZnO multilayers deposited on polymer substrate

“…Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film have been used for applications in many fields, such as thin film solar cells, liquid crystal display, organic light emitting diode and plasma display panels [1][2][3]. The ZnO thin film has advantages, such as low cost, stability in hydrogen plasma, non-toxicity and high transmittance in the visible range [4].…”