Barrier at the interface between amorphous silicon and transparent conducting oxides and its influence on solar cell performance

Abstract

We have found that a heterostructure made of a conductive transparent oxide (SnO2, ITO, or Pt:SiO2) and p-type or n-type or intrinsic a-Si:H shows a substantial potential barrier at the interface. This barrier is important in order to explain the behavior of Voc versus doping of the p layer in p-i-n solar cells. The barrier should also be taken into account in order to explain the poor blue response of solar cells.