Development of a rapidly stabilized protocrystalline silicon multilayer solar cell

Abstract

We develop a rapidly stabilized pin-type thin film solar cell with a low degradation by combining a p-type hydrogenated amorphous silicon-carbide (p-a-SiC:H) double layer structure and an alternately hydrogen-diluted protocrystalline silicon (pc-Si:H) multilayer absorber. The p-a-SiC:H double layer structure increases overall initial parameters by reducing recombination at the p/i interface. After 12 h standard light irradiation, we achieve a stabilized efficiency of 9.0% without using any back reflector. Nano-sized silicon grains embedded in regularly arranged highly hydrogen-diluted sublayers of the pc-Si:H multilayer suppress the photocreation of dangling bonds in a amorphous silicon matrix acting as radiative recombination centres of photoexcited carriers.