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High-Efficiency Amorphous Silicon Alloy Based Solar Cells And A national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation for Our Energy Future Subcontract Report High-Efficiency Amorphous NREL/SR-520-38728 Silicon Alloy Based Solar October 2005 Cells and Modules Final Technical Progress Report 30 May 2002 – 31 May 2005 S. Guha and J. Yang United Solar Ovonic Corporation Troy, Michigan NREL is operated by Midwest Research Institute ● Battelle Contract No. DE-AC36-99-GO10337 High-Efficiency Amorphous Subcontract Report NREL/SR-520-38728 Silicon Alloy Based Solar October 2005 Cells and Modules Final Technical Progress Report 30 May 2002 – 31 May 2005 S. Guha and J. Yang United Solar Ovonic Corporation Troy, Michigan NREL Technical Monitor: B. von Roedern Prepared under Subcontract No. ZDJ-2-30630-19 National Renewable Energy Laboratory 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, Colorado 80401-3393 303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by Midwest Research Institute • Battelle Contract No. DE-AC36-99-GO10337 This publication was reproduced from the best available copy submitted by the subcontractor and received no editorial review at NREL. NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or any agency thereof. Available electronically at http://www.osti.gov/bridge Available for a processing fee to U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors, in paper, from: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information P.O. Box 62 Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0062 phone: 865.576.8401 fax: 865.576.5728 email: mailto:[email protected] Available for sale to the public, in paper, from: U.S. Department of Commerce National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 phone: 800.553.6847 fax: 703.605.6900 email: [email protected] online ordering: http://www.ntis.gov/ordering.htm Printed on paper containing at least 50% wastepaper, including 20% postconsumer waste Table of Contents Preface............................................................................................................................................. v Executive Summary...................................................................................................................... vii Objectives............................................................................................................................... vii Approaches............................................................................................................................viii Status/Accomplishments .......................................................................................................viii Publications..................................................................................................................................xiii Section 1: Introduction.................................................................................................................... 1 Section 2: Amorphous Silicon Alloy Component and Multi-junction Cells and Modules Deposited in a Large-Area Reactor with Production Constraints................................................... 3 2.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 3 2.2. Experimental .................................................................................................................... 4 2.3. Layer thickness uniformity............................................................................................... 4 2.4. Design of Experiments (DOE) ......................................................................................... 6 2.5. Uniformity of component cell performance..................................................................... 6 2.6. Summary .......................................................................................................................... 8 Section 3: Fundamental Study of nc-Si:H and Optimization of High Efficiency nc-Si:H Solar Cells .............................................................................................................................................. 10 3.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 10 3.2. Experimental .................................................................................................................. 10 3.3. Thickness dependence of nc-Si:H solar cells................................................................. 11 3.4. Microstructure changes with thickness in nc-Si:H solar cells........................................ 16 3.5. Hydrogen dilution profiling in nc-Si:H solar cell deposition......................................... 23 3.6. Control of interfaces....................................................................................................... 29 3.7. Dark J-V measurements for nc-Si:H solar cells............................................................. 29 3.8. Summary ........................................................................................................................ 32 Section 4: Optimization of Ag/ZnO Back Reflector..................................................................... 35 4.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 35 4.2. Experimental .................................................................................................................. 35 4.4. a-SiGe:H bottom cells on various BR substrates ........................................................... 37 4.5. nc-Si:H solar cells on various BR substrates ................................................................. 43 4.6. Summary ........................................................................................................................ 43 Section 5: High Efficiency Multi-junction Cell with nc-Si:H Bottom Cell.................................. 45 5.1. Optimization of a-Si:H/nc-Si:H double-junction solar cell............................................ 45 5.2. Optimization of a-Si:H/a-SiGe:H/nc-Si:H triple-junction solar cell.............................. 47 Section 6: High Rate Deposition of nc-Si:H Single-junction and Multi-junction Solar Cells Using Modified VHF Glow Discharge.................................................................................................... 49 6.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 49 6.2. Experimental .................................................................................................................. 49 6.3. MVHF high rate nc-Si:H single-junction solar cell ....................................................... 51 6.4. a-Si:H/nc-Si:H double-junction cells made with MVHF at high rates .......................... 53 6.5. a-Si:H/a-SiGe:H/nc-Si:H triple-junction cells made with MVHF at high rates............. 54 6.6. Summary ........................................................................................................................ 54 iii Section 7: High Rate Deposition of nc-Si:H Solar Cells Using RF Glow Discharge in the High Pressure Regime............................................................................................................................ 58 7.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 58 7.2. Experimental .................................................................................................................. 58 7.3. RF high rate nc-Si:H single-junction cell....................................................................... 58 7.4. a-Si:H/nc-Si:H double-junction solar cells with RF glow discharge under high pressure and high power....................................................................................................................... 60 7.5. Summary ........................................................................................................................ 60 Section 8: Large-area a-Si:H/nc-Si:H Double-junction Solar Cells ............................................. 62 8.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 62 8.2. Experimental .................................................................................................................. 62 8.3. Uniformity of thickness and cell performance..............................................................
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