The Future of Amorphous Silicon Photovoltaic Technology

Crandall, Richard S.; Luft, W.

doi:10.1002/pip.4670030506

Cited by 23 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…with an excellent ecological balance sheet; and, in the long run, the prospect of a sub-stantial cost reduction (42,43). Only a part of these advantages are shared by other thin-film technologies.…”

Section: Pv Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photovoltaic Technology: The Case for Thin-Film Solar Cells

Shah

Torres

Tscharner

et al. 1999

Science

1,135

557

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The advantages and limitations of photovoltaic solar modules for energy generation are reviewed with their operation principles and physical efficiency limits. Although the main materials currently used or investigated and the associated fabrication technologies are individually described, emphasis is on silicon-based solar cells. Wafer-based crystalline silicon solar modules dominate in terms of production, but amorphous silicon solar cells have the potential to undercut costs owing, for example, to the roll-to-roll production possibilities for modules. Recent developments suggest that thin-film crystalline silicon (especially microcrystalline silicon) is becoming a prime candidate for future photovoltaics.

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Section: Pv Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photovoltaic Technology: The Case for Thin-Film Solar Cells

Shah

Torres

Tscharner

et al. 1999

Science

1,135

557

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“…The light-induced creation of dangling bond defects in hydrogenated amorphous silicon ͑a-Si:H͒, called the Staebler-Wronski effect ͑SWE͒, [1][2][3] has proven an obstacle to the widespread technological application of this material. Although the Staebler-Wronski effect saturates with the creation of about 10 17 /cm 3 , there is growing indirect evidence that a much larger number of atoms are affected by light soaking.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural disorder induced in hydrogenated amorphous silicon by light soaking

Gibson

Treacy

Voyles

et al. 1998

Applied Physics Letters

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We show, using variable coherence transmission electron microscopy, that light soaking of amorphous hydrogenated silicon thin films leads to structural changes. We speculate that the structural changes are associated with instability in the as-deposited material. We suggest that improved immunity to Staebler-Wronski degradation could be achieved by a less-ordered material which is closer to the ideal continuous random network. © 1998 American Institute of Physics. ͓S0003-6951͑98͒02947-7͔The light-induced creation of dangling bond defects in hydrogenated amorphous silicon ͑a-Si:H͒, called the Staebler-Wronski effect ͑SWE͒, 1-3 has proven an obstacle to the widespread technological application of this material. Although the Staebler-Wronski effect saturates with the creation of about 10 17 /cm 3 , there is growing indirect evidence that a much larger number of atoms are affected by light soaking. [4][5][6] Here, we report that there is a significant structural change in hydrogenated amorphous silicon after light soaking, which we have observed using variable coherence electron microscopy. Our experiments show no such structural change in hydrogen-free silicon. In the light of our previous work on pure amorphous Ge and Si, 7,8 we interpret this result as evidence for a structural instability in the as-deposited a-Si:H structure, which has more medium-range order than the continuous random network. We propose that the Staebler-Wronski effect is intimately related to this structural instability.Electron fluctuation microscopy techniques have high sensitivity to such subtle structural changes. Diffraction, including small angle scattering, and other single-scattering techniques such as extended x-ray absorption fine structure ͑EXAFS͒ reveal correlations between pairs of atoms only, as embodied in the radial distribution function ͑RDF͒, which is not sensitive to subtle differences between network structures. 7 We have shown that higher-order atomic correlation functions ͑three and four body͒, which are measured by variable coherence microscopy, 9 are sensitive to such differences. 7 Specifically, variable coherence electron microscopy can detect correlations at a characteristic length scale of 10-20 Å that fall short of the perfect ordering necessary for strong diffraction. Raman scattering and x-ray absorption near-edge structure may also provide useful information about medium-range order, but the interpretation of these techniques is complicated by the need to know the internal properties of the atoms in order to calculate the vibrational spectrum or electronic density of states. Because variable coherence electron microscopy uses high energy electrons as a probe, the atoms' positions are their most important attribute, supplemented by the well-known atomic scattering factor.For this experiment amorphous hydrogenated silicon films of varied composition were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering of a silicon target in argon and hydrogen. This method permits independent control of hydrogen content, and produces m...

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“…a-Si is widely used in thin-film solar cells owing to several reasons [ 22 ]: Raw materials are abundant and non-toxic; It requires low-temperature processes, allowing the manufacturing of modules with a wider and a cheaper range of substrates; It presents a high absorption coefficient, hence cells are thinner (of the order of 1–2 μm thick) and require less amount of material per cell; Large area deposition technologies can be applied [ 23 ]; Laboratory efficiencies of a-Si are 10.2% for single-junction cells and 12.7% for multi-junction cells [ 13 ]. …”

Section: Second-generation Photovoltaic Solar Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Materials for Photovoltaics: State of Art and Recent Developments

Luceño

Díez‐Pascual

Capilla³

2019

IJMS

215

140

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In recent years, photovoltaic cell technology has grown extraordinarily as a sustainable source of energy, as a consequence of the increasing concern over the impact of fossil fuel-based energy on global warming and climate change. The different photovoltaic cells developed up to date can be classified into four main categories called generations (GEN), and the current market is mainly covered by the first two GEN. The 1GEN (mono or polycrystalline silicon cells and gallium arsenide) comprises well-known medium/low cost technologies that lead to moderate yields. The 2GEN (thin-film technologies) includes devices that have lower efficiency albeit are cheaper to manufacture. The 3GEN presents the use of novel materials, as well as a great variability of designs, and comprises expensive but very efficient cells. The 4GEN, also known as “inorganics-in-organics”, combines the low cost/flexibility of polymer thin films with the stability of novel inorganic nanostructures (i.e., metal nanoparticles and metal oxides) with organic-based nanomaterials (i.e., carbon nanotubes, graphene and its derivatives), and are currently under investigation. The main goal of this review is to show the current state of art on photovoltaic cell technology in terms of the materials used for the manufacture, efficiency and production costs. A comprehensive comparative analysis of the four generations is performed, including the device architectures, their advantages and limitations. Special emphasis is placed on the 4GEN, where the diverse roles of the organic and nano-components are discussed. Finally, conclusions and future perspectives are summarized.

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The Future of Amorphous Silicon Photovoltaic Technology

Cited by 23 publications

References 30 publications

Photovoltaic Technology: The Case for Thin-Film Solar Cells

Photovoltaic Technology: The Case for Thin-Film Solar Cells

Structural disorder induced in hydrogenated amorphous silicon by light soaking

Materials for Photovoltaics: State of Art and Recent Developments

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