Microcrystalline silicon solar cells with an open-circuit voltage above 600 mV

Microcrystalline silicon solar cells with an open-circuit voltage surpassing the 600 mV barrier were prepared by combining the use of a hot wire deposited p-i interface with that of an i layer deposited by radio-frequency parallel plate plasma deposition using controlled SiH4 flow profiling. The control of the bulk and interface properties facilitated effective charge carrier collection from i layers with a crystalline volume fraction as low as similar to 30%. Judging from the absorption in the infrared and the excellent charge carrier transport, the optoelectronic properties of this material were still dominated by the crystalline rather than the amorphous phase. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.