Improvements in the conversion efficiency of a-Si solar cells

High performance a-Si solar cells were developed. A conversion efficiency of 11.5 percent was achieved for a textured TCO/p(SiC)in/Ag structure at a size of 1 sq cm using a high-quality i-layer. High-quality a-Si films which include low impurity concentrations were fabricated in a ultra-high-vacuum reaction chamber. By fabricating the p-layer with the photo-CVD method, the p/i interface properties were improved. A new analytical method of a-Si solar cells named DICE (dynamic inner collection efficiency) analysis was also developed.