Effect of microvoids on initial and light-degraded efficiencies of hydrogenated amorphous silicon alloy solar cells

Abstract

Using a combination of infrared absorption and small-angle x-ray scattering on hydrogenated amorphous silicon alloy films and efficiency measurements of solar cells with intrinsic layers prepared under nominally identical conditions to those for the deposition of the films, we observe a correlation between microstructure in the films and solar cell performance. With increasing microvoid density, both the initial and light-degraded performance of solar cells are found to deteriorate.