Open-air, low-temperature deposition of phase pure Cu2O thin films as efficient hole-transporting layers for silicon heterojunction solar cells

Recent research focuses on finding alternative materials and fabrication techniques to replace traditional (p) and (n) doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) to reduce cost and boost the efficiency of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells. In this work, low-cost p-type Cu2O thin films have been investigated and integrated as a hole-transporting layer (HTL) in SHJ solar cells, using atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD), an open-air, scalable ALD approach. Phase pure Cu2O thin films have been deposited at temperatures below the degradation limit of the SHJ, thus maintaining the passivation effect of the a-Si:H layer. The effect of deposition temperatures and HTL thicknesses on the performance of the devices has been evaluated. The fabricated Cu2O HTL-based SHJ cells, having an area of 9 cm(2), reach a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.7%, which is the highest reported efficiency for silicon-based solar cells incorporating a Cu2O HTL.

Automated summary

Recent research has focused on finding alternative materials and fabrication techniques to reduce cost and boost the efficiency of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells. In this study, low-cost p-type Cu2O thin films were investigated and integrated as a hole-transporting layer (HTL) in SHJ solar cells, achieving the highest reported efficiency for silicon-based solar cells incorporating a Cu2O HTL.