Performance improvement of amorphous silicon solar cell by SiOx:H based multiple antireflection coatings

Abstract

We have attempted to improve the external quantum efficiency and short-circuit current density of a 300 nm thick amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cell on a glass substrate by reducing the front reflection. For that purpose, we employed a highly transparent amorphous SiOx:H layer in a solar cell with glass/a-SiOx:H/ZnO:B/mu c-p-SiOx:H/p-SiC:H/a-Si:H/n-SiOx:H/Ag/Al structure. We also introduced an electrically conductive microcrystalline p-SiOx:H layer in the ZnO:B/p-SiC:H interface to reduce the reflection to the lowest level. The introduction of these ARCs with MgF2 in the front reduces the average front reflection from 7.9% to 2.7% in the 400-600 nm wavelength range and corresponding solar cell efficiency improved from 10.56% to 11.34%. It is found that substrate texturization is not as effective as the ARCs for thin a-Si solar cells. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.