Doped-Chamber Deposition of Intrinsic Microcrystalline Silicon Thin Films and Its Application in Solar Cells

A series of microcrystalline silicon thin films were fabricated by very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （VHF-PECVD） at different silane concentrations in a P chamber. Through analysis of the structural and electrical properties of these materials,we conclude that the photosensitivity slightly decreased then increased as the silane concentration increased,while the crystalline volume fraction indicates the opposite change. Results of XRD indicate that thin films have a （220） preferable orientation under certain conditions. Microcrystalline silicon solar cells with conversion efficiency 4. 7% and micromorph tandem solar cells 8.5% were fabricated by VHF-PECVD （p layer and i layer of microcrystalline silicon solar cells were deposited in P chamber）, respectively.

Research on the optimum hydrogenated silicon thin films for application in solar cells

Hydrogenated silicon （Si：H） thin films for application in solar ceils were deposited by using very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF PECVD） at a substrate temperature of about 170 ℃, The electrical, structural, and optical properties of the films were investigated. The deposited films were then applied as i-layers for p-i-n single junction solar cells. The current-voltage （I - V） characteristics of the cells were measured before and after the light soaking. The results suggest that the films deposited near the transition region have an optimum properties for application in solar cells. The cell with an i-layer prepared near the transition region shows the best stable performance.

Comparing Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells with Thin Film

Photovoltaics are currently recognized as a top ranking technology among the new energies. Photovoltaics have the potential to eventually make a considerable contribution to the power generation capacity in the world, especially, in the industrialized countries. Good accomplishment has been obtained in the cost reduction of PV systems, for example in 1974, systems cost (100～150) $/W. In 1981, such systems cost less than (10～30) $/W, and now they cost less than 5 $/W. However, more R&D efforts are still necessary, to achieve large-scale cost-effective production of PV systems to make it competitive with diesel generation of electricity,although PV systems have proven to be competitive in rural and remote areas. In this paper, an overview on high efficiency solar cell technologies will be presented.

Influence of the total gas flow rate on high rate growth microcrystalline silicon films and solar cells

This paper reports that high-rate-deposition of microcrystalline silicon solar cells was performed by very-highfrequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. These solar cells, whose intrinsic μc-Si：H layers were prepared by using a different total gas flow rate （Ftotal）, behave much differently in performance, although their intrinsic layers have similar crystalline volume fraction, opto-electronic properties and a deposition rate of - 1.0 nm/s. The influence of Ftotal on the micro-structural properties was analyzed by Raman and Fourier transformed infrared measurements. The results showed that the vertical uniformity and the compact degree of μc-Si：H thin films were improved with increasing Ftotal. The variation of the microstructure was regarded as the main reason for the difference of the J V parameters. Combined with optical emission spectroscopy, we found that the gas temperature plays an important role in determining the microstructure of thin films. With Ftotal of 300 sccm, a conversion efficiency of 8.11% has been obtained for the intrinsic layer deposited at 8.5 A/s （1 A=0.1 nm）.

Microstructure Analysis and Properties of Anti-Reflection Thin Films for Spherical Silicon Solar Cells

Structure and properties of anti-reflection thin films of spherical silicon solar cells were investigated and discussed. Conversion efficiencies of spherical Si solar cells coated with F-doped SnO2 anti-reflection films were improved by annealing. Optical absorption and fluorescence of the solar cells increased after annealing. Lattice constants of F-doped SnO2 anti-reflection layers, which were investigated by X-ray diffraction, decreased after annealing. A mechanism of atomic diffusion of F in SnO2 was discussed. The present work indicated a guideline for spherical silicon solar cells with higher efficiencies.

Investigation on Silicon Thin Film Solar Cells

The preparation, current status and trends are investigated for silicon thin film solar cells. The advantages and disadvantages of amorphous silicon thin film, polycrystalline silicon thin film and mono-crystalline silicon thin film solar cells are compared. The future development trends are pointed out. It is found that polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cells will be more promising for application with great potential.

Research on the boron contamination at the p/i interface of microcrystalline silicon solar cells deposited in a single PECVD chamber

This paper studies boron contamination at the interface between the p and i layers of μc-Si：H solar cells deposited in a single-chamber PECVD system. The boron depth profile in the i layer was measured by Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy. It is found that the mixed-phase μc-Si：H materials with 40% crystalline volume fraction is easy to be affected by the residual boron in the reactor. The experimental results showed that a 500-nm thick μc-Si：H covering layer or a 30-seconds of hydrogen plasma treatment can effectively reduce the boron contamination at the p/i interface. However, from viewpoint of cost reduction, the hydrogen plasma treatment is desirable for solar cell manufacture because the substrate is not moved during the hydrogen plasma treatment.

Reduction of the phosphorus contamination for plasma deposition of p-i-n microcrystalline silicon solar cells in a single chamber

This paper investigates several pretreatment techniques used to reduce the phosphorus contamination between solar cells. They include hydrogen plasma pretreatment, deposition of a p-type doped layer, i-a-Si：H or μc-Si：H covering layer between solar cells. Their effectiveness for the pretreatment is evaluated by means of phosphorus concentration in films, the dark conductivity of p-layer properties and cell performance.

Micromorph tandem solar cells: optimization of the microcrystalline silicon bottom cell in a single chamber system

We report on the development of single chamber deposition of microcrystalline and micromorph tandem solar cells directly onto low-cost glass substrates. The cells have pin single-junction or pin/pin double-junction structures on glass substrates coated with a transparent conductive oxide layer such as SnO2 or ZnO. By controlling boron and phosphorus contaminations, a single-junction microcrystalline silicon cell with a conversion efficiency of 7.47% is achieved with an i-layer thickness of 1.2 μm. In tandem devices, by thickness optimization of the microcrystalline silicon bottom solar cell, we obtained an initial conversion efficiency of 9.91% with an aluminum （Al） back reflector without a dielectric layer. In order to enhance the performance of the tandem solar cells, an improved light trapping structure with a ZnO/Al back reflector is used. As a result, a tandem solar cell with 11.04% of initial conversion efficiency has been obtained.

Effect of emitter layer doping concentration on the performance of a silicon thin film heterojunction solar cell

A novel type of n/i/i/p heterojunction solar cell with a-Si：H（15 nm）/a-Si：H（10 nm）/epitaxial c-Si（47 p.m）/epitaxial c-Si（3 um） structure is fabricated by using the layer transfer technique, and the emitter layer is deposited by hot wire chemical vapour deposition. The effect of the doping concentration of the emitter layer Sd （Sd=PH3/（PH3 ＋SiH4＋H2）） on the performance of the solar cell is studied by means of current density-voltage and external quantum efficiency. The results show that the conversion efficiency of the solar cell first increases to a maximum value and then decreases with Sd increasing from 0.1% to 0.4%. The best performance of the solar cell is obtained at Sd = 0.2% with an open circuit voltage of 534 mV, a short circuit current density of 23.35 mA/cm2, a fill factor of 63.3%, and a conversion efficiency of 7.9%.

Microcrystalline Silicon Materials and Solar Cells Prepared by VHF-PECVD

A series of samples deposited by VHF-PECVD at different pressures were studied.The measurement results of photosensitivity (photo conductivity/dark conductivity) and activation energy indicated near the same rule with the change of the pressure.The results measured by Raman scattering spectra,X-ray diffraction and FTIR all proved the evident crystallization of the materials.Treating the p/i interface by hydrogen has a great improving effect on the performance of the microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) p-i-n solar cells if the treatment time was appropriate.An efficiency of 4.24% for μc-Si p-i-n solar cells deposited by VHF-PECVD was firstly obtained.

Analysis of the application of the laser equipment in the production line of the amorphous silicon film solar cells

The laser equipment is one of the key equipment in the production line of the solar energy. In this article, the author de-scribes the application of the laser equipment in the production line of the amorphous silicon film solar cells, and points out that the stable and exactitude is the key direction of the future development of the laser scribing equipment.

Surface morphology and impurity distribution of electron beam recrystallized silicon films on low cost substrates for solar cell absorber

A line shaped electron beam recrystallised polycrystalline silicon film on the low cost substrate was investigated for the use of the solar cell absorber. The applied EB energy density strongly influences the surface morphology of the film system. Lower EB energy density results in droplet morphology and the rougher SiO2 capping layer due to the low fluidity. With the energy increasing, the capping layer becomes smooth and continuous and less and small pinholes form in the silicon film. Tungstendisilicide (WSi2) is formed at the interface tungsten/silicon but also at the grain boundaries of the silicon. Because of the fast melting and cooling of the silicon film, the eutectic of silicon and tungstendisilicide mainly forms at the grain boundary of the primary silicon dendrites. The SEM-EDX analysis shows that there are no chlorine and hydrogen in the area surrounding a pinhole after recrystallization because of outgassing during the solidification.

Emitter layer optimization in heterojunction bifacial silicon solar cells

Silicon solar cells continue to dominate the market,due to the abundance of silicon and their acceptable efficiency.The heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer(HIT)structure is now the dominant technology.Increasing the efficiency of these cells could expand the development choices for HIT solar cells.We presented a detailed investigation of the emitter a-Si:H(n)lay-er of a p-type bifacial HIT solar cell in terms of characteristic parameters which include layer doping concentration,thickness,band gap width,electron affinity,hole mobility,and so on.Solar cell composition:(ZnO/nc-Si:H(n)/a-Si:H(i)/c-Si(p)/a-Si:H(i)/nc-Si:H(p)/ZnO).The results reveal optimal values for the investigated parameters,for which the highest computed efficiency is 26.45%when lighted from the top only and 21.21%when illuminated from the back only.

The Microstructure Evolution of Intrinsic Microcrystalline Silicon Films and Its Influence on the Photovoltaic Performance of Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） intrinsic films and solar cells are prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （PECVD） with various hydrogen dilution ratios. The influence of hydrogen dilution ratios on electrical characteristics is investigated to study the phase transition from amorphous to microcrystalline silicon. During the deposition process,the optical emission spectroscopy （OES） from plasma is recorded and compared with the Raman spectra of the films,by which the microstructure evolution of different 1-12 dilution ratios and its influence on the performance of μc-Si： H n-i-p solar cells is investigated.

Silicon Film Fabrication by Liquid Phase Epitaxy at Low Temperature

Low temperature liquid phase epitaxy of silicon thin films was successfully carried out at a temperature of (400～500)℃,using Au/Bi alloy as a Si-saturated Sn solution was used to protect the substrate surface,preventing effectively the oxidation of silicon.The grown Si thin films were identified by SEM,AES and C-V measurements.

Fabrication of Poly-Si Thin Film on Glass Substrate by Aluminum-induced Crystallization

Amorphous silicon （ a-Si ） thin films were deposited on glass substrate by PECVD, and polycrystalline silicon （ poly- Si ） thin films were prepared by aluminum- induced crystallization （ AlC ）. The effects of annealing temperature on the microstructure and morphology were investigated. The AlC poly-Si thin films were characterized by XRD, Raman and SEM. It is found that a-Si thin film has a amorphous structure after annealing at 400℃ for 20 min, a-Si films begin to crystallize after annealing at 450 ℃ for 20 min, and the crystallinity of a-Si thin films is enhanced obviously with the increment of annealing termperature.

n-nc-Si:H低温制备工艺及其在柔性钙钛矿太阳电池中的应用

【目的】为在低温工艺下制备出适用于柔性钙钛矿太阳电池的高性能电子传输层,需要对电子传输层材料及制备条件进行研究。【方法】将n型氢化纳米晶硅薄膜作为柔性钙钛矿太阳电池电子传输层,研究衬底温度对薄膜性能的影响,并优化电子传输层与钙钛矿层界面处理工艺和结构。【结果】得到暗电导率、光透过率、表面形貌适用于柔性钙钛矿太阳电池电子传输层的n型氢化纳米晶硅薄膜低温制备条件,经过界面优化处理的柔性钙钛矿太阳电池转换效率达到14.66%。【结论】在低温工艺下制备出了高性能的电子传输层及柔性钙钛矿太阳电池,对进一步开展叠层钙钛矿太阳电池的研究具有指导意义。

管式PECVD工艺对“SE+PERC”晶体硅太阳电池镀膜均匀性的影响及改善研究

针对在“SE+PERC”晶体硅太阳电池制备过程中,采用管式等离子体增强化学气相沉积(PECVD)工艺沉积正面钝化介质膜后,硅片正面会出现角部发红色差,即镀膜均匀性异常的问题,通过实验,对硅片厚度、工器具状态、背面膜层结构、正面钝化介质膜沉积工艺等影响因素对硅片正面角部发红色差的影响分别进行分析和讨论,并提出解决方案。研究结果表明:硅片正面角部发红色差的产生与硅片自身厚度、工器具状态、背面膜层结构、正面钝化介质膜沉积工艺均存在一定关系。通过采用最具优势的管式PECVD工艺条件,即优化自动化装片技术、控制石墨舟形变量、采用合适的背面膜层结构,以及正面钝化介质膜沉积工艺采用高射频功率叠加高腔体压力,可将正面角部发红色差硅片的占比降低至0%,从而可有效提升“SE+PERC”晶体硅太阳电池的成品率,提升生产线的经济效益。

Adoption of wide-bandgap microcrystalline silicon oxide and dual buffers for semitransparent solar cells in building-integrated photovoltaic window system

We focused on developing penetration-type semitransparent thin-film solar cells(STSCs) using hydrogenated amorphous Si(a-Si:H) for a building-integrated photovoltaic(BIPV) window system. Instead of conventional p-type a-Si:H, p-type hydrogenated microcrystalline Si oxide(p-μc-SiOx:H) was introduced for a wide-bandgap and conductive window layer. For these purposes, we tuned the CO2/SiH4 flow ratio(R) during p-μc-SiOx:H deposition. The film crystallinity decreased from 50% to 13% as R increased from 0.2 to 1.2. At the optimized R of 0.6, the quantum efficiency was improved under short wavelengths by the suppression of p-type layer parasitic absorption. The series resistance was well controlled to avoid fill factor loss at R = 0.6. Furthermore, we introduced dual buffers comprising p-a-SiOx:H/i-a-Si:H at the p/i interface to alleviate interfacial energy-band mismatch. The a-Si:H STSCs with the suggested window and dual buffers showed improvements in transmittance and efficiency from 22.9% to 29.3% and from 4.62% to 6.41%, respectively, compared to the STSC using a pristine p-a-Si:H window.