Ingmar Höger

PEDOT:PSS emitters on multicrystalline silicon thin-film absorbers for hybrid solar cells

We fabricated an efficient hybrid solar cell by spin coating poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) on planar multicrystalline Si (mc-Si) thin films. The only 5 μm thin Si absorber layers were prepared by diode laser crystallization of amorphous Si deposited by electron beam evaporation on glass. On these absorber layers, we studied the effect of SiOx and Al2O3 terminated Si surfaces. The short circuit density and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the mc-Si/Al2O3/PEDOT:PSS solar cell increase from 20.6 to 25.4 mA/cm2 and from 7.3% to 10.3%, respectively, as compared to the mc-Si/SiOx/PEDOT:PSS cell. Al2O3 lowers the interface recombination and improves the adhesion of the polymer film on the hydrophobic mc-Si thin film. Open circuit voltages up to 604 mV were reached. This study demonstrates the highest PCE so far of a hybrid solar cell with a planar thin film Si absorber.

Electron backscatter diffraction on femtosecond laser sulfur hyperdoped silicon

This paper analyzes the impact of femtosecond laser pulse irradiation on the crystallinity of silicon wafers by means of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) measurements. EBSD based image quality maps and orientation imaging microscopy maps are correlated to the grade of the silicon crystallinity. We analyze the impact of accumulated net laser irradiation originating from a laser spot overlap that is necessary to process macroscopic areas, e.g., for sulfur doping of semiconductor devices. Furthermore, we demonstrate that post processing annealing recovers crystallinity and therefore allows fs-laser processed silicon to be used in semiconductor device manufacturing.

Multicrystalline silicon thin film solar cells based on a two-step liquid phase laser crystallization process

We present a technology for preparing multi-crystalline silicon thin film solar cells based on laser crystallization. The technology makes use of high rate electron beam evaporation of amorphous silicon and of liquid phase crystallization by scanning the beam of a line focus high power diode laser. The resulting several μm thick absorber of the solar cell consists of grains sized up to mm. On top of the absorber an epitaxial emitter is prepared by excimer laser crystallization. Our solar cells reached an open circuit voltage of 550 mV and an efficiency of 7.8 %.

Influence of intermediate layers on the surface condition of laser crystallized silicon thin films and solar cell performance

The intermediate layer (IL) between glass substrate and silicon plays a significant role in the optimization of multicrystalline liquid phase crystallized silicon thin film solar cells on glass. This study deals with the influence of the IL on the surface condition and the required chemical surface treatment of the crystallized silicon (mc-Si), which is of particular interest for a-Si:H heterojunction thin film solar cells. Two types of IL were investigated: sputtered silicon nitride (SiN) and a layer stack consisting of silicon nitride and silicon oxide (SiN/SiO). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements revealed the formation of silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy) or silicon oxide (SiO2) layers at the surface of the mc-Si after liquid phase crystallization on SiN or SiN/SiO, respectively. We propose that SiOxNy formation is governed by dissolving nitrogen from the SiN layer in the silicon melt, which segregates at the crystallization front during crystallization. This process is successfully hindered, when...

Core–shell diodes for particle detectors

High performance particle detectors are needed for fundamental research in high energy physics in the exploration of the Higgs boson, dark matter, anti-matter, gravitational waves and proof of the standard model, which will extend the understanding of our Universe. Future particle detectors should have ultrahigh radiation hardness, low power consumption, high spatial resolution and fast signal response. Unfortunately, some of these properties are counter-influencing for the conventional silicon drift detectors (SDDs), so that they cannot be optimized simultaneously. In this paper, the main issues of conventional SDDs have been analyzed, and a novel core–shell detector design based on micro- and nano-structures etched into Si-wafers is proposed. It is expected to simultaneously reach ultrahigh radiation hardness, low power consumption, fast signal response and high spatial resolution down to the sub-micrometer range, which will probably meet the requirements for the most powerful particle accelerators in the near future. A prototype core–shell detector was fabricated using modern silicon nanotechnology and the functionality was tested using electron-beam-induced current measurements. Such a high performance detector will open many new applications in extreme radiation environments such as high energy physics, astrophysics, high resolution (bio-) imaging and crystallography, which will push these fields beyond their current boundaries.