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Electronic structure analysis of a-Si: H  p-i1-i2-n solar cells  using ellipsometry spectroscopy

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Abstract

In this study, we report an enhancement  in the efficiency of a-Si:H solar cells due to the addition of an intrinsic layer. The intrinsic layer of a-Si:H p-i1-i2-n solar cells was measured by focused beam-mapping spectroscopy ellipsometry for photon energy from 0.6 to 6.5 eV. The intrinsic a-Si:H layer was made from SiH4 and H2 by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique. The Cody-Lorentz approach was identified as the best method  to describe optical dispersion. The effect of hydrogen dilution on optical absorption is explained by the decrease in localized state density in the mobility gap. Furthermore, the observed structure is analyzed by adjusting the frequency derivative of the dielectric constant with the shape of the analytic critical-point line. The complex dielectric function shows good agreement with microscopic calculations for the energy shift and the broadening inter-band transitions based on the electron-hole interaction. Our results show the important role of the a-Si:H intrinsic layer in the efficiency improvement of a-Si:H p-i1-i2-n solar cells.

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Acknowledgements

One of the authors (SP) thankfully acknowledges the Pertamina University and the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia, through the Lembaga Pengelolah Dana Pendidikan (LPDP), which has provided financial support through the Scholarship Indonesian. The authors would also appreciate LPPM Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember for the use of experimental facilities at Research Center ITS and SSLS National University of Singapore. . We are thankful to Prof. Andrivo Rusydi who provided a fruitful discussion for this paper.

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The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, Pertamina University, Jakarta, 12220, Indonesia

    Soni Prayogi

  2. Department of Physics, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya, 60111, Indonesia

    Yoyok Cahyono & D Darminto

  3. Center of Excellence in Automotive Control and System, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya, 60111, Indonesia

    D Darminto

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  1. Soni Prayogi
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  2. Yoyok Cahyono
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  3. D Darminto
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Correspondence to Soni Prayogi.

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Prayogi, S., Cahyono, Y. & Darminto, D. Electronic structure analysis of a-Si: H  p-i1-i2-n solar cells  using ellipsometry spectroscopy. Opt Quant Electron 54, 732 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-022-04044-5

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