Abstract
Solar cells based on microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) have demonstrated remarkable efficiencies and have been successfully incorporated in tandem structures; however, little work has so far been devoted to the understanding of these devices. The objective of this paper is to obtain more insight into their physical functioning by extensive characterisation of fuc-Si:H devices. Charge-collection experiments shows that high electric field E(x) is present throughout the entire i-layer of thick p-i-n device. Furthermore, from capacitance studies, one concludes that the electric field profile is partly concentrated at grain boundaries. In contrast with these two observations, spectral response under forward bias voltage show that thick μc-Si:H p-i-n devices are (unlike a-Si:H p-i-n devices) not fully field-controlled.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
J Meier, P Torres, R Platz, S Dubail, U Kroll, J.A. Anna Selvan, N. Pellaton-Vaucher, C Hof, D Fischer, H Keppner, A Shah, K.-D. Ufert, P. Giannoulés, J. Köhler, in Amorphous Silicon Technology - 1996, edited by M. Hack, E.A. Schiff, S. Wagner, R. Schropp, A. Matsuda, (Mat. Res. Soc. Proc. 420, Pittsburgh, PA, 1996 pp. 3–14.
J Meier, S Dubail, U Kroll, P Torres, P Pernet, Y Ziegler, J.A. Anna Selvan, D Fischer, H Keppner, A Shah, Mat. Res. Soc. Proc., this issue.
K Yamamoto, M. Yoshimi. T Suzuki, Y Okamoto, Y Tawada, A Nakajima, Conf. Record of the 26th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conf., in print.
J Meier, R Fltickiger, H Keppner, A Shah, Appl. Phys. Lett. 65, 860 (1994).
N Wyrsch, M Goerlitzer, N Beck, J Meier, A Shah, in Amorphous Silicon Technology -1996, edited by M Hack, E Schiff, S Wagner, R Schropp, A Matsuda, (Mat. Res. Soc. Proc. 420, Pittsburgh, PA, 1996 pp. 801–806.
A Fejfar, N Beck, H Stuchlikova, N Wyrsch, P Torres, J Meier, A Shah, J. Kocka. Proc. of the 17th International Conference on Amorphous and Microcrystalline Silicon, Budapest, 1997, to be published in J. of Non-cryst. Sol.
R Flückiger, J Meier, A Shah, A Catana, M Brunel, N. V Nguyen, R.W. Collins, R Carius, in Amorphous Silicon Technology - 1994, edited by E.A. Schiff, M Hack, A Madan, M Powell, A Matsuda, (Mat. Res. Soc. Proc. 336, Pittsburgh, PA, 1994 pp. 511–516.
R Street, Phys. Rev. B 27, 4924 (1983).
R Vanderhaghen, C Longeaud, in Amorphous Silicon Technology - 1989, edited A Madan, M.J. Thompson, P.C. Taylor, Y Hamakawa, P.G. LeComber Powell, (Mat. Res. Soc. Proc. 149, Pittsburgh, PA, 1989 pp. 357–362.
N Wyrsch, D Fischer, A Shah, Proc. of the 12th Eur. Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Amsterdam, (H.S. Stephens & Associates, Bedford, UK, 1994 p. 73.
150 D Fischer, N Wyrsch, C. M Fortmann, A Shah, Conf. Record of the 23th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conf. (IEEE, New York, 1993 p. 878.
S. M Sze, in Semiconductor Devices- Physics and Technology (John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1985), p. 84.
Acknowledgement
This work was supported by the Swiss Federal Renewable Energy Program (grant 19431) and the Swiss National Foundation grant FN-45696 and FN-52337.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wyrsch, N., Beck, N., Meier, J. et al. Electric Field Profile in Jic-Si:H P-I-N Devices. MRS Online Proceedings Library 507, 181–186 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-507-181
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-507-181