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We have developed a Kramers–Kronig consistent analytical expression to fit the measured optical functions of hydrogenated amorphous silicon(a-Si:H) based alloys, i.e., the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function(ε1,ε2) (or the index of refractionn and absorption coefficient α) versus photon energy E for the alloys. The alloys of interest include amorphous silicon–germanium (a-Si1−xGex:H) and silicon–carbon (a-Si1−xCx:H), with band gaps ranging continuously from ∼1.30 to 1.95 eV. The analytical expression incorporates the minimum number of physically meaningful, E independent parameters required to fit (ε1,ε2) versus E. The fit is performed simultaneously throughout the following three regions: (i) the below-band gap …

In studies of hydrogenated amorphous silicon(a-Si:H) n–i–psolar cells fabricated by rf plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), we have found that the maximum open circuit voltage (Voc) is obtained by incorporating p-type doped Si:H layers that are protocrystalline in nature. Specifically, these optimum p layers are prepared by PECVD in the a-Si:H growth regime using the maximum hydrogen-to-silane flow ratio possible without crossing the thickness-dependent transition into the mixed-phase (amorphous+microcrystalline) growth regime for the ∼200 Å p-layer thickness. The strong dependence of the p-layer phase and solar cell Voc on the underlying i-layer phase also confirms the protocrystalline nature of the …

As both population and energy use per capita increase, modern society is approaching physical limits to its continued fossil fuel consumption. The immediate limits are set by the planet’s ability to adapt to a changing atmospheric chemical composition, not the availability of resources. In order for a future society to be sustainable while operating at or above our current standard of living a shift away from carbon based energy sources must occur. An overview of the current state of active solar (photovoltaic, PV) energy technology is provided here to outline a partial solution for the environmental problems caused by accelerating …

Insights into the growth processes and microstructural evolution for intrinsic (i) hydrogenated silicon (Si:H) films obtained from real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry (RTSE) are extended to the characterization of the optoelectronic properties of the corresponding solar cells. Numerical modeling of the J–V characteristics and their temperature dependences support the RTSE results and provide new information about the optoelectronic properties of the i-layer materials. Experimental results are presented that strongly suggest changes in the mobility gap of the i-layer materials as their microstructure evolves with thickness, further confirming the important effect of the hydrogen dilution ratio Full-size image (<1 >K) on the transitions …