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Amorphous silicon alloy photovoltaic research—present and future
Author(s) -
Guha S.,
Yang J.,
Banerjee A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-159x(200001/02)8:1<141::aid-pip305>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - amorphous silicon , photovoltaic system , materials science , alloy , silicon , electricity , crystalline silicon , amorphous solid , engineering physics , solar cell , deposition (geology) , process engineering , nanotechnology , quality (philosophy) , metallurgy , optoelectronics , electrical engineering , engineering , chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , paleontology , organic chemistry , sediment , biology
Amorphous silicon alloy has received a great deal of attention as a low‐cost material for solar cells and modules. The disorder inherent in the material creates many defect states that impede carrier transport, and the major challenge has been to improve the light‐to‐electricity conversion efficiency. The most successful method of growing high quality material is by the use of hydrogen dilution in deposition gas mixture which results in a material with improved order. We discuss here the various approaches taken to improve material and device quality that have resulted in stable cell and module efficiencies of 13% and 10·5%, respectively. We also discuss future directions of research. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.