Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Chemical Vapor Deposited Amorphous Silicon For Use In Photothermal Conversion, David D. Allred, D. C. Booth, M. Janai, G. Weiser, B. O. Seraphin

Faculty Publications

Efficient photothermal conversion requires surfaces of high solar absorptance and low thermal emittance. This can be accomplished by the tandem action of a good infrared reflector overlaid by a film of sufficient solar absorptance that is transparent in the infrared. Crystalline silicon is a suitable candidate for the absorber layer. Its indirect band gap, however, results in a shallow absorption edge that extends to far into the visible. In contrast, the absorption edge of amorphous silicon is steeper and located farther into the infrared, resulting in a larger solar absorptance. We report on the fabrication of amorphous silicon absorbers by …