Study on diffusion barrier layer of silicon-based thin-film solar cells on polyimide substrate

ZnO and Ni films were used as the diffusion barrier layer between Al and n-type μc-Si:H for the hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells on polyimide (PI) substrate. The electrical, optical and uniformity properties of ZnO or Ni film influence strongly the performance and uniformity of solar cells. The uniformity of the solar cells with ZnO diffusion barrier layer degraded with the increasing thickness of ZnO film. The uniformity of solar cells with Ni diffusion barrier layer was more than 90%, which was generally better than those with ZnO film. A power-to-weight ratio of 200 W/kg was obtained for a-Si:H thin-film solar cell on PI substrate with a size of 14.8 cm².