Optimization of n/i and i/p buffer layers in n-i-p hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon solar cells

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） intrinsic films and solar cells with n-i-p configuration were prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （PECVD）. The influence of n/i and i/p buffer layers on the μc-Si：H cell performance was studied in detail. The experimental results demonstrated that the efficiency is much improved when there is a higher crystallinity at n/i interface and an optimized a-Si：H buffer layer at i/p interface. By combining the above methods, the performance of μc-Si：H single-junction and a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cells has been significantly improved.