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Controlling Structural Evolution by VHF Power Profiling Technique for High-efficiency Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells at High Deposition Rate

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Abstract

High rate deposition of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (µc-Si:H) films and solar cells were prepared by very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (VHF-PECVD) process in a high power and high pressure regime. The experiment results demonstrate that in high-rate deposited µc-Si:H films, the structural evolution is much more dramatic than that in low-rate deposited µc-Si:H films. A novel VHF power profiling technique, which was designed by dynamically decreasing the VHF power step by step during the deposition of µc-Si:H intrinsic layers, has been developed to control the structural evolution along the growth direction. Another advantage of this VHF power profiling technique is the reduced ion bombardments on growth surface because of decreasing the VHF power. Using this method, a significant improvement in the solar cell performance has been achieved. A high conversion efficiency of 9.36% (V oc=542mV, J sc=25.4mA/cm2 FF=68%) was obtained for a single junction µc-Si:H p-i-n solar cell with i-layer deposited at deposition rate over 10 ?/s.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Photoelectronics, Nankai University, 300071, Tianjin, P.R. China

    Guofu Hou, Xiaoyan Han, Changchun Wei, Xiaodan Zhang, Guijun Li, Zhihua Dai, Xinliang Chen, Jianjun Zhang, Ying Zhao & Xinhua Geng

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  1. Guofu Hou
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  2. Xiaoyan Han
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  3. Changchun Wei
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  4. Xiaodan Zhang
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  5. Guijun Li
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  6. Zhihua Dai
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  7. Xinliang Chen
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  8. Jianjun Zhang
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  9. Ying Zhao
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  10. Xinhua Geng
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Hou, G., Han, X., Wei, C. et al. Controlling Structural Evolution by VHF Power Profiling Technique for High-efficiency Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells at High Deposition Rate. MRS Online Proceedings Library 1153, 721 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1153-A07-21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1153-A07-21

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