Summary
The performance of amorphous silicon solar cells has improved significantly in the last several months. Conversion efficiencies as high as 6.1% have been reported by RCA Laboratories in p-i-n cells (area = 1.19 cm ) and efficiencies of 6.3% have2been reported by Energy Conversion Devices in small area (4.2 mm ) MIS cells. Conversion efficiencies in excess of 5.0% have also been observed at other laboratories. At RCA more than two hundred p-i-n cells with efficiencies greater than 5.0% have been fabricated in four glow-discharge systems, including both rf and dc systems. Some of these cells have been constructed by depositing ∼0.5 μm of an amorphous silicon p-i-n structure on a metal substrate (e.g., steel) and using ∼70 run of electron-beam deposited indium-tin-oxide as both a top contact and an antireflection coating. Other p-i-n cells have been fabricated on glass substrates coated with indium-tin-oxide. Conversion efficiencies as high as 3.6% have been obtained in series-connected monolithic panels with active areas of 63 cm. These panels were made in a deposition system that was producing small area cells (9.5 mm2 ) of only 4.0% conversion efficiency at that time.
Some of the research reported herein was supported by Solar Energy Research Institute, under Contract No. XJ-9-8254, and by RCA Laboratories, Princeton, NJ 08540.
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© 1981 ECSC, EEC, EAEC, Brussels and Luxembourg
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Carlson, D.E. (1981). The Status of Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells. In: Palz, W. (eds) Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8423-3_42
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