Development of highly conducting n-type micro-crystalline silicon oxide thin film and its application in high efficiency amorphous silicon solar cell

Wide band gap and highly conducting n-type nano-crystalline silicon film can have multiple roles in thin film solar cell. We prepared phosphorus doped micro-crystalline silicon oxide films (n-μc-SiO:H) of varying crystalline volume fraction (X_c) and applied some of the selected films in device fabrication, so that it plays the roles of n-layer and back reflector in p-i-n type solar cells. It is generally understood that a higher hydrogen dilution is needed to prepare micro-crystalline silicon, but in case of the n-μc-SiO:H an optimized hydrogen dilution was found suitable for higher X_c. Observed X_c of these films mostly decreased with increased plasma power (for pressure<2.0 Torr), increased gas pressure, flow rate of oxygen source gas and flow rates of PH₃>0.08 sccm. In order to determine deposition conditions for optimized opto-electronic and structural characteristics of the n-μc-SiO:H film, the gas flow rates, plasma power, deposition pressure and substrate temperature were varied. In these films, the X_c, dark conductivity (σ_d) and activation energy (E_a) remained within the range of 0–50%, 3.5×10⁻¹⁰ S/cm to 9.1 S/cm and 0.71 eV to 0.02 eV, respectively. Low power (30 W) and optimized flow rates of H₂ (500 sccm), CO₂ (5 sccm), PH₃ (0.08 sccm) showed the best properties of the n-μc-SiO:H layers and an improved performance of a solar cell. The photovoltaic parameters of one of the cells were as follows, open circuit voltage (V_oc), short circuit current density (J_sc), fill-factor (FF), and photovoltaic conversion efficiency (η) were 950 mV, 15 mA/cm², 64.5% and 9.2% respectively.     

Effects of monochlorosilane on the properties of plasma deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon

Concentrations of monochlorosilane (SiH₃Cl) of the order of 2500 ppm have been detected in some commercial tanks of silane by mass spectrometry and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). This impurity is shown to depress the position of the Fermi level in a-Si:H, resulting in lower photoconductivity and solar cell efficiency. This research was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC0276CH00016.     

Determination of diffusion lengths in organic semiconductors: Correlation with solar cell performances

Organic semiconductors are promising candidates for future applications in solar energy conversion. Recent investigations of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) semiconductors have suggested a density of states and transport mechanisms by multiple trapping close to those observed in disordered inorganic thin films. That is why we have applied to BHJ thin films experiments that are currently used for disordered semiconductors. In addition to the steady state photoconductivity we have tested the ability of the steady state photocarrier grating (SSPG) technique to provide information on the minority carrier diffusion length. We found that SSPG can be applied to P3HT:PCBM thin films leading, for the best sample, to a diffusion length of the order of 125 nm. From the comparison of the transport parameters obtained on thin films with the performances of the devices integrating the latter, we conclude that SSPG is a very powerful tool for optimizing the BHJ thin film properties before their incorporation in solar devices.     

Quantum well model of a conjugated polymer heterostructure solar cell

In current study we analyzed the performance of a conjugated polymer heterostructured solar cell using quantum well representation for 100 Å thin polymer layers. The electrical field across the polymer layer is extremely strong to dissociate all excitons generated by sunlight. The behavior of free electrons appearing as a result of exciton dissociation was analyzed using wavefunctions and set of available energy levels. We came to the conclusion that small but finite probability exists to collect free electrons by the anode of the solar cell. The analyzed device was comprised of layers of bulk heterojunctions, namely, 100 nm layers of poly[2-methoxy-5-(3′,7′-dimethyloctyloxy)-1-4-phenylene vinylene]:phenyl C61-butyric acid methylester MDMO-PPV:PCBM (1:4), (poly-3-hexylthiophene): phenyl C61-butyric acid methylester P3HT:PCBM (1:1) and poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopen[2,1-b;3,4-b′]dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] PCPDTBT:PCBM (1:3). Set of these layers are designed to be connected using transparent cathodes of lithium fluoride/aluminium/gold LiF/Al/Au, which are compatible with PCBM LUMO.     

Graphene-oxide doped PEDOT:PSS as a superior hole transport material for high-efficiency perovskite solar cell

Inverted perovskite solar cells have attracted a great deal of attention due to its high power conversion efficiency, simple configuration, and low-cost processing. The hole transport material (HTM) is a crucial factor in high performance inverted perovskite solar cell. However, the hole mobility for most common of HTM is too low to matching perovskite materials. Herein, we report a superior HTM with high hole mobility to significantly improve solar cell efficiency. Upon doing the commonly used PEDOT:PSS HTM by graphene oxide (GO), its hole mobility is increased from 5.55 × 10⁻⁵ to 1.57 × 10⁻⁴ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, leading to efficient hole extraction and low current leakage, therefore 20% higher power conversion efficiency comparing to the control device without the GO doping. The development open the opportunities for efficient HTMs based on the two-dimensional materials in the perovskite solar cells.     

高效硅基异质结太阳能电池的模拟

a-Si:H/c-Si异质结太阳能电池的基本参数,如层厚度、掺杂浓度、a-Si:H/c-Si界面缺陷、功函数等是影响载流子传输特性和电池效率的关键因素。在本文中,利用AFORS-HET程序,研究了这些参数与a-Si:H/c-Si电池的性能的关联性。最后,具有TCO/n-a-Si:H/i-a-Si:H/p-c-Si/p -a-Si:H/Ag结构的太阳能电池的最优化性能被获得,其光电转换效率为27.07%（VOC: 749 mV, JSC: 42.86 mA/cm2, FF: 84.33%）。深入地了解异质结电池的输运特性,对进一步提高电池的效率有很大的帮助,同时对实际太阳能电池的制造也能提供有益的指导。     

Optimization of physical properties of vacuum evaporated CdTe thin films with the application of thermal treatment for solar cells

This paper reports the optimization of physical properties of cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin films with the application of thermal treatment. The films of thickness 650 nm were deposited on glass and indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates employing vacuum evaporation followed by thermal annealing in the temperature range 250–450 °C. The films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), source meter and atomic force microscopy (AFM) for structural, electrical and surface topographical properties respectively. The X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that films are polycrystalline with predominant zinc-blende structure having preferred reflection (111). The structural parameters are calculated and discussed in detail. The current–voltage characteristics show Ohmic behavior and the electrical conductivity is found to increase with annealing treatment. The AFM studies show that the surface roughness of films is observed to increase with annealing. The experimental results reveal that the thermal annealing plays an important role to enhance the physical properties of CdTe thin films and annealed films may be used as absorber layer in CdTe/CdS solar cells.     

H2 plasma treatment at the p/i interface of a hydrogenated amorphous Si absorption layer for high‐performance Si thin film solar cells

Plasma treatment (PT) of the buffer layer for highly H₂‐diluted hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H) absorption layers is proposed as a technique to improve efficiency and mitigate light‐induced degradation (LID) in a‐Si:H thin film solar modules. The method was verified for a‐Si:H single‐junction and a‐Si:H/microcrystalline silicon (µc‐Si:H) tandem modules with a size of 200 × 200 mm² (aperture area of 382.5 cm²) under long‐term light exposure. H₂ PT at the p/i interface was found to eliminate non‐radiative recombination centers in the buffer layer, and plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition at low radio‐frequency power was found to suppress the generation of defects during the growth of a‐Si:H absorption layers on the treated buffer layers. With optimized H₂ PT of the a‐Si:H single‐junction module, the stabilized short circuit current and fill factor increased, and the stabilized open circuit voltage moves beyond its initial value. The results demonstrate 7.7% stabilized efficiency and 10.5% LID for the a‐Si:H single‐junction module and 10.82% stabilized efficiency and 7.76% LID for the a‐Si:H/µc‐Si:H tandem module. Thus, the growth of an a‐Si:H absorption layer on a H₂ PT buffer layer can be considered as a practical method for producing high‐performance Si thin film modules. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulation analysis of a high efficiency GaInP/Si multijunction solar cell

The solar power conversion efficiency of a gallium indium phosphide(GaInP)/silicon(Si)tandem solar cell has been investigated by means of a physical device simulator considering both mechanically stacked and monolithic structures.In particular,to interconnect the bottom and top sub-cells of the monolithic tandem,a gallium arsenide(GaAs)-based tunnel-junction,i.e.GaAs(n+)/GaAs(p+),which assures a low electrical resistance and an optically low-loss connection,has been considered.The J–V characteristics of the single junction cells,monolithic tandem,and mechanically stacked structure have been calculated extracting the main photovoltaic parameters.An analysis of the tunnel-junction behaviour has been also developed.The mechanically stacked cell achieves an efficiency of 24.27%whereas the monolithic tandem reaches an efficiency of 31.11%under AM1.5 spectral conditions.External quantum efficiency simulations have evaluated the useful wavelength range.The results and discussion could be helpful in designing high efficiency monolithic multijunction GaInP/Si solar cells involving a thin GaAs(n+)/GaAs(p+)tunnel junction.     

Development of oxide based window and buffer layer for single junction amorphous solar cell: Reduction of light induced degradation

Single junction a-Si:H solar cell using oxide based window and buffer layer was fabricated by using a conventional plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique. The impact of oxide based window layers and the effect of oxide buffer layer thickness on light induced degradation are investigated. Solar cells with optimized oxide based window and buffer layers have been fabricated with an optical gap of 1.97 eV and 1.86 eV. On comparing these solar cells with carbide based window and buffer layers, it is found that light induced degradation (LID) of oxide based cells is almost 4% less than the carbide based ones. Oxide based cells show significant improvement in quantum efficiency for lower wavelength region, compared to carbide based cells. Stabilized efficiency after 1000 h light soaking for the oxide and carbide based solar cells is found to be 7.55% and 6.50%, respectively.     

Development of rf sputtered,Cu-doped ZnTe for use as a contact interface layer to p-CdTe

Cu-doped ZnTe films deposited by rf-magnetron sputtering have been analyzed with the intention to use this material as a contact interface in CdS/CdTe thin-film photovoltaic solar-cell devices. It is observed that unless careful attention is made to the pre-deposition conditioning of the ZnTe target, the electrical resistivity of thin films (∼70 nm) will be significantly higher than that measured on thicker films (∼1.0 μm). It is determined that N contamination of the target during substrate loading is likely responsible for the increased film resistivity. The effect of film composition on the electrical properties is further studied by analyzing films sputtered from targets containing various Cu concentrations. It is determined that, for targets fabricated from stoichiometric ZnTe and metallic Cu, the extent of Zn deficiency in the film is dependent on both sputtering conditions and the amount of metallic Cu in the target. It is observed that the carrier concentration of the film reaches a maximum value of ∼3 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ when the concentrations of Te and (Zn+Cu) are nearly equal. For the conditions used, this optimum film stoichiometry results when the concentration of metallic Cu in the target is ≈6 at.%.     

Deposition,opto-electronic and structural characterization of polymorphous silicon thin films to be applied in a solar cell structure

In this study we analyze the optoelectronic properties and structural characterization of hydrogenated polymorphous silicon thin films as a function of the deposition parameters. The films were grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using a gas mixture of argon (Ar), hydrogen (H₂) and dichlorosilane (SiH₂Cl₂). High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images and Raman measurements confirmed the existence of very different internal structures (crystalline fractions from 12% to 54%) depending on the growth parameters. Variations of as much as one order of magnitude were observed in both the photoconductivity and effective absorption coefficient between the samples deposited with different dichlorosilane/hydrogen flow rate ratios. The optical and transport properties of these films depend strongly on their structural characteristics, in particular the average size and densities of silicon nanocrystals embedded in the amorphous silicon matrix. From these results we propose an intrinsic polymorphous silicon bandgap grading thin film to be applied in a p–i–n junction solar cell structure. The different parts of the solar cell structure were proposed based on the experimental optoelectronic properties of the pm-Si:H thin films studied in this work.     

Fabrication of a counter electrode using glucose as carbon material for dye sensitized solar cells

Carbon material was produced from the graphitization of glucose at high temperature in flowing argon. The produced carbon material was characterized using Scanning electron microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and XRD. Carbon slurry of the produced carbon was made in ethanol by using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as surfactant. Carbon slurry was coated homogeneously on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass by a doctor blade technique and applied as counter electrode for dye synthesized solar cell. The current density (J) and open circuit voltage (V_OC) of fabricated cell was 8.30 mA cm⁻² and 0.77 V respectively. The efficiency of the cell was 3.63%, which is comparable to 5.82% of cell with platinum counter electrode under the same experimental conditions.     

Simulated solar cell device of CuGaSe2 by using CdS,ZnS and ZnSe buffer layers

We have performed ab-initio calculations for the structural, electronic, optical, elastic and thermal properties of the copper gallium chalcopyrite (CuGaSe₂). The Full Potential Linearized Augmented Plane Wave (FP-LAPW) method is used to find the equilibrium structural parameters and to compute the full elastic tensors. We have reported electronic and optical properties with the recently developed density functional of Tran and Blaha. Furthermore, optical features such as dielectric functions, refractive indices, extinction coefficient, optical reflectivity, absorption coefficients, optical conductivities, are calculated for photon energies up to 30 eV. The thermodynamical properties such as thermal expansion, heat capacity, Debye temperature, entropy and Grüneisen parameter, bulk modulus and hardness are calculated employing the quasi-harmonic Debye model at different temperatures (0–1200 K) and pressures (0–8 GPa) and the silent results are interpreted. To check the potentiality of CuGaSe₂ as future solar cell material, device modeling and simulation studies have been carried out with a variety of buffer layers over CuGaSe₂ absorption layer. The band diagram and J/V curves are analyzed and device performance parameters i.e. efficiency, open circuit voltage, short circuit current, quantum efficiency are calculated for CdS, ZnS and ZnSe buffer layers. Simulation results for CuGaSe₂ thin layer solar cell show the maximum efficiency (15.8%) with ZnSe as the buffer layer. Most of the investigated parameters are reported for the first time.     

A simple analytical model of thin films crystalline silicon solar cell with quasi-monocrystalline porous silicon at the backside

An analytical model that simulates the performance of an elementary thin silicon solar cell with a thin film quasi-monocrystalline porous silicon (QMPS) at the backside reflector is developed. A complete set of equations for the photocurrent generated under the effect of the reflected light is solved analytically in each region. The collection of the light absorbed by the QMPS layer has been discussed and the analytical solution of the light-generated current in this layer is derived. The maximum of the photocurrent density calculated in the present study is in accordance with the numerical values established by Bergmann et al. Furthermore, the influence that the layer's number of double porosities and high porosity have on the photovoltaic parameters is studied. It is demonstrated that the photovoltaic parameters increase with the number of double porosities that the layer might have in a given structure. When the QMPS layer is formed by three double-porosity layers 20%/80% and for a 5-μm-thick film c-Si, the backside reflector gives a total improvement of about 6 mA/cm² for the photocurrent density and 3.2% for the cell efficiency.     

Role of dual SiOx: H based buffer at the p/i interface on the performance of single junction microcrystalline solar cells

In p-i-n structure a-Si solar cell a buffer layer with proper characteristics plays important role in improving the p/i interface of the cell, reducing mismatch of band gaps and number of recombination centres. However for p-i-n structure microcrystalline ( µc-Si: H) cell which has much less light induced degradation than a-Si:H cell, not much work has been done on development of proper buffer layer and its application to µc-Si:H cell. In this paper we have reported the development of two intrinsic oxide based microcrystalline layer having different characteristics for use as buffer layers at the p/i interface of µc-Si:H cell. Previously SiO_x:H buffer layer has been used at the p/i interface which showed positive effects. To explore the possibility of improving the performance of p-i-n structure µc-Si:H cell further we have thought it interesting to use two buffer layers with different characteristics at the p/i interface. The two buffer layers have been characterized in detail and applied at the p/i interface of the µc-Si:H cell with positive effects on all the PV parameters mainly improves the open circuit voltage (V_oc) and enhances short circuit current (I_sc). The maximum initial efficiency obtained is 8.97% with dual buffer which is 6.7% higher than that obtained by using conventional single buffer layer at the p/i interface. Stabilized efficiency of the cell with dual buffer is found to be ~9.5% higher than that with single buffer after 600 h of light soakings.     

宽波长太阳能电池抗反射层结构设计

为了降低太阳能电池表面对入射光的反射,提高其光电转换效率,设计了入射光谱在400～1100 nm宽波长范围内的二维亚微米抗反射层结构.该结构主要由高折射率ZnS膜层、低折射率MgF_2膜层及二维亚微米光栅层等组成.采用严格耦合波分析理论计算了此结构的反射特性,当ZnS膜层、MgF_(2)膜层、光栅深度及光栅周期分别为50 nm、150 nm、200 nm及400 nm,入射角在0～80°变化时,其平均反射率为7.76%.计算结果表明:所设计的抗反射层结构可有效降低太阳能电池表面对入射光的反射,从而提高其光电转换效率.     

Optimization of a-Si:H absorber layer grown under a low pressure regime by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition: Revisiting the significance of the p/i interface for solar cells

In this study, we revisited the significance of the p/i interface for hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells. Initially, intrinsic and extrinsic (p and n type) a-Si:H layers were grown in a low pressure regime (0.5–0.1 Torr) using the conventional RF plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process and their opto-electronic properties were optimized for the fabrication of p–i–n a-Si:H solar cells. Subsequently, we obtained new insights in terms of the activation energy and band gap at the p/i interface in these solar cells. The absorber layers deposited at pressures of 0.23 Torr and 0.53 Torr had the highest photosensitivity with a band absorption edge at ~700 nm. Furthermore, the photosensitivity was shown to be correlated with the estimated diffusion length, which effectively defined the carrier transport within the solar cell layers. Moreover, the cell efficiency increased from 1.53% to 5.56% due to the improved p/i interface as well as the higher photosensitivity of the intrinsic/absorber layer.     

Effect of residual catalyst on solar cells made of a fluorene-thiophene-benzothiadiazole copolymer as electron-donor: A combined electrical and photophysical study

The effects of residual catalyst impurities (palladium) on the hole mobility of a fluorene-thiophene-benzothiadiazole copolymer (poly{[4′-(9,9-bis(2-ethylhexyl)fluoren-2-yl)-2′,1′,3′-benzothiadiazole-7,7′-diyl]-co-[2′-(9,9-bis(2-ethylhexyl)fluoren-2-yl)thien-7,5′-diyl]}) (PFB-co-FT), as well as on its photovoltaic and photophysical response when blended with [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), are investigated. Two samples of the copolymer, only differing for the Pd content (9 and 3360 ppm), are considered and compared. The transport of positive carriers is characterized by a lower mobility and a higher dispersion in the Pd-rich PFB-co-FT sample. The photovoltaic parameters of PFB-co-FT:PCBM solar cells show a significant dependence on the residual catalyst impurities, attributed to a different concentration of trap states. Variations in charge mobility and trapping induced by impurities was confirmed also by ESR (Electron Spin Resonance) experiments: an increased concentration of trapped charges in the presence of a higher level of metal impurities was revealed by light induced ESR, while the variation of polaron mobility correlates with the lifetime variation of the photogenerated PCBM triplet state detected by time-resolved ESR. All experimental evidences point to a strong effect of Pd impurities on the transport properties of charge carriers.     

High air stability of threshold voltage on gate bias stress in pentacene TFTs with a hydroxyl-free and amorphous fluoropolymer as gate insulators

We investigated the air stabilities of threshold voltages (V_th) on gate bias stress in pentacene thin-film transistors (TFTs) with a hydroxyl-free and amorphous fluoropolymer as gate insulators. The 40-nm-thick thin films of spin-coated fluoropolymer had excellent electrical insulating properties, and the pentacene TFTs exhibited negligible current hysteresis, low leakage current, a field-effect mobility of 0.45 cm²/Vs and an on/off current ratio of 3 × 10⁷ when it was operated at −20 V in ambient air. After a gate bias stress of 10⁴ s, a small V_th shift below 1.1 V was obtained despite non-passivation of the pentacene layer. We have discussed that the excellent air stability of V_th was attributed to the insulator surface without hydroxyl groups.