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Amorphous Silicon, Microcrystalline Silicon, and Thin-Film Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells

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Abstract

Thin-film solar cell technologies based on Si with a thickness of less than a few micrometers combine the low-cost potential of thin-film technologies with the advantages of Si as an abundantly available element in the earth’s crust and a readily manufacturable material for photovoltaics (PVs). In recent years, several technologies have been developed that promise to take the performance of thin-film silicon PVs well beyond that of the currently established amorphous Si PV technology. Thin-film silicon, like no other thin-film material, is very effective in tandem and triple-junction solar cells. The research and development on thin crystalline silicon on foreign substrates can be divided into two different routes: a low-temperature route compatible with standard float glass or even plastic substrates, and a high-temperature route (>600°C). This article reviews the material properties and technological challenges of the different thin-film silicon PV materials.

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Authors
  1. Ruud E. I. Schropp
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  2. Reinhard Carius
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  3. Guy Beaucarne
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Schropp, R.E.I., Carius, R. & Beaucarne, G. Amorphous Silicon, Microcrystalline Silicon, and Thin-Film Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells. MRS Bulletin 32, 219–224 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs2007.25

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