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Title

Anomalous temperature dependence of diode saturation currents in polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells on glass

Author(s)

Wong, J.;  Huang, J. L.;  Kunz, O.;  Ouyang, Z.;  He, S.;  Widenborg, P. I.;  Aberle, A. G.;  Keevers, M.;  Green, M. A.

Abstract

Temperature dependent Suns-Voc measurements are performed on four types of polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells on glass substrates, all of which are made by solid phase crystallization∕epitaxy of amorphous silicon from plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition or e-beam evaporation. Under the two-diode model, the diode saturation currents corresponding to n = 1 recombination processes for these polycrystalline silicon p‐n junction cells follow an Arrhenius law with activation energies about 0.15-0.18 eV lower than that of single-crystal silicon p‐n diodes of 1.206 eV, regardless of whether the cells have an n- or p-type base. This discrepancy manifests itself unambiguously in a reduced temperature sensitivity of the open-circuit voltage in thin-film polycrystalline silicon solar cells compared to single-crystal silicon cells with similar voltages. The physical origin of the lowered activation energy is attributed to subgap levels acting either as minority carrier traps or shallow recombination centers.

Publication type

Journal article

Source

Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 105, no. 10 (May 2009), article no. 103705

Publication year

2009

FOR Code(s)

01 Mathematical Sciences;  02 Physical Sciences;  09 Engineering

Keyword(s)

Diode saturation currents;  Glass;  Polycrystalline silicon;  Temperature;  Thin film solar cells

Publisher

American Institute of Physics

ISSN

0021-8979

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3131665

Copyright

Copyright © 2009 American Institute of Physics. Published version reproduced here with the kind permission of the publisher.

Full text

Peer reviewed