Helmut Stiebig

The effect of front ZnO:Al surface texture and optical transparency on efficient light trapping in silicon thin-film solar cells

This study addresses the material properties of magnetron-sputtered aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) films and their application as front contacts in silicon thin-film solar cells. Optimized films exhibit high conductivity and transparency, as well as a surface topography with adapted light-scattering properties to induce efficient light trapping in silicon thin-film solar cells. We investigated the influence on the ZnO:Al properties of the amount of alumina in the target as well as the substrate temperature during sputter deposition. The alumina content in the target influences the carrier concentration leading to different conductivity and free carrier absorption in the near infrared. Additionally, a distinct influence on the film growth of the ZnO:Al layer was found. The latter affects the surface topography which develops during wet-chemical etching in diluted hydrochloric acid. Depending on alumina content in the target and heater temperature, three different regimes of etching behavior have been i...

Thin-film silicon solar cells with efficient periodic light trapping texture

For solar cells based on thin-film microcrystalline (μc-Si:H) or amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) with absorber layers in the micrometer range, highly effective light trapping and an optimal incoupling of the entire sun spectrum are essential. To investigate and optimize both effects the wave propagation in thin-film silicon solar cells is modeled in three dimensions (3D) solving the Maxwell equations rigorously. A periodic nanostructured texture is investigated as an alternative to the common randomly rough texture. Inverted 3D pyramids with a periodicity of 850nm and structure height of 400nm show promising high quantum efficiencies close to the Tiedje limit.

New materials and deposition techniques for highly efficient silicon thin film solar cells

This paper reviews recent efforts to provide the scientific and technological basis for cost-effective and highly efficient thin film solar modules based on amorphous (a-Si:H) and microcrystalline (pc-Si:H) silicon. Textured ZnO:Al films prepared by sputtering and wet chemical etching were applied to design optimised light-trapping schemes. Necessary prerequisite was the detailed knowledge of the relationship between film growth, structural properties and surface morphology obtained after etching. High rate deposition using plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition at 13.56 MHz plasma excitation frequency was developed for pc-Si:H solar cells yielding efficiencies of 8.1% and 7.5% at deposition rates of 5 and 9 Angstrom/s, respectively. These pc-Si: H solar cells were successfully up-scaled to a substrate area of 30 x 30 cm(2) and applied in a-Si:H/muc-Si:H tandem cells showing initial test cell efficiencies up to 11.9%

Open circuit voltage improvement of high-deposition-rate microcrystalline silicon solar cells by hot wire interface layers

Significant improvement in open circuit voltage and fill factor was achieved for microcrystalline silicon (μc‐Si:H) solar cells deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) by the incorporation of an intrinsic μc‐Si:Hp∕i buffer layer fabricated by hot-wire (HW) CVD. The improved p∕i interface quality, likely due to the ion-free deposition on the p layers in the HWCVD process, was concluded from a considerably enhanced blue light response in such solar cells. Using this buffer layer concept allows the authors to apply high deposition rate PECVD processes for the μc‐Si:Hi layer material, yielding a high efficiency of 10.3% for a single junction μc‐Si:H solar cell.

a-SiGe:H based solar cells with graded absorption layer

An experimental and numerical study of a-SiGe:H based solar cells with a band gap graded i layer in the shape of a “V” is presented. The variation of the location of the band gap minimum has a strong influence on solar cell performance. Under air mass (AM) 1.5 illumination the cells show a strong increase in open circuit voltage and a distinct decrease in the fill factor when shifting the band gap minimum from the front to the rear part of the i layer. Comparisons of experimental and simulated data of the dark I/V behavior, the I/V curves under illumination and the quantum efficiency allow insights into the transport and recombination behavior within the solar cell. The simulations reveal that the position as well as the charge state of the defects and, under illumination additionally the recharging behavior of the defect states, determine the device characteristics.

Defect density and recombination lifetime in microcrystalline silicon absorbers of highly efficient thin-film solar cells determined by numerical device simulations

The absorber layers of microcrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells with p-i-n structure deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 200 °C are characterized regarding the defect density and the recombination lifetime. The characterization is based on a comparison of experimentally determined solar cell characteristics with results from numerical device simulations. Evaluation of the dark reverse saturation current indicates a strong dependence of the recombination lifetime τ on the hydrogen dilution during the deposition. Close to the transition region to amorphous growth, where the highest solar cell efficiencies are observed, τ is maximum within the crystalline deposition regime and equals around 80 ns. The aspect of a spatially varying defect density within the absorber layer is also addressed by numerical simulations. The results from the analysis of the dark current are compared with electron spin resonance data determined on single layers, which allows conclusions to be drawn regard...

Determination of the mobility gap of intrinsic μc-Si:H in p-i-n solar cells

Microcrystalline silicon (?c-Si:H) is a promising material for application in multijunction thin-film solar cells. A detailed analysis of the optoelectronic properties is impeded by its complex microstructural properties. In this work we will focus on determining the mobility gap of ?c-Si:H material. Commonly a value of 1.1?eV is found, similar to the bandgap of crystalline silicon. However, in other studies mobility gap values have been reported to be in the range of 1.48–1.59?eV, depending on crystalline volume fraction. Indeed, for the accurate modeling of ?c-Si:H solar cells, it is paramount that key parameters such as the mobility gap are accurately determined. A method is presented to determine the mobility gap of the intrinsic layer in a p-i-n device from the voltage-dependent dark current activation energy. We thus determined a value of 1.19?eV for the mobility gap of the intrinsic layer of an ?c-Si:H p-i-n device. We analyze the obtained results in detail through numerical simulations of the ?c-Si:H p-i-n device. The applicability of the method for other than the investigated devices is discussed with the aid of numerical simulations.

Plasmonic effects in amorphous silicon thin film solar cells with metal back contacts

Plasmonic effects in amorphous silicon thin film solar cells with randomly textured metal back contact were investigated experimentally and numerically. The influence of different metal back contacts with and without ZnO interlayer was studied and losses in the individual layers of the solar cell were quantified. The amorphous silicon thin film solar cells were prepared on randomly textured substrates using large area production equipment and exhibit conversion efficiencies approaching 10%. The optical wave propagation within the solar cells was studied by Finite Difference Time Domain simulations. The quantum efficiency of solar cells with and without ZnO interlayer was simulated and the interplay between the reflection, quantum efficiency and absorption in the back contact will be discussed.

Interfaces in a-Si:H Solar cell structures

Abstract The performance of amorphous silicon based solar cells depends on the tailored properties of the various layer materials making up the cell structure as well as on the properties and on the design of the interface regions between the layers. The electronic properties related to the various interfaces are markedly influenced by the Fermi level position within these regions, and by structural properties and chemical compositions resulting from the preparation conditions. Results are presented for the p/i and the TCO/p interfaces and discussed with respect to device performance. Further examples of interface effects are described which are related to chemical reactions and hydrogen diffusion in the course of sample preparation.

Light trapping in periodically textured amorphous silicon thin film solar cells using realistic interface morphologies.

The influence of realistic interface morphologies on light trapping in amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells with periodic surface textures is studied. Realistic interface morphologies are obtained by a 3D surface coverage algorithm using the substrate morphology and layer thicknesses as input parameters. Finite difference time domain optical simulations are used to determine the absorption in the individual layers of the thin-film solar cell. The influence of realistic interface morphologies on light trapping is determined by using solar cells structures with the same front and back contact morphologies as a reference. Finally the optimal surface textures are derived.