Improved properties of boron-doped zinc oxide films with In2O3：Sn interlayers for solar cells

Zhao Hui-Xu; Chen Xin-Liang; Yang Xu; Du Jian; Bai Li-Sha; Chen Ze; Zhao Ying; Zhang Xiao-Dan

doi:10.7498/aps.63.056801

Abstract

Boron-doped zinc oxide (BZO) films with a natural pyramid-textured surface grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) have large light trapping effect in thin film silicon solar cells when used as front contact electrodes. However, the surface topography of traditional BZO films is so sharp as to damage the quality of the subsequent silicon thin film materials and to reduce the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of the solar cells. In this work, an ultra-thin In2O3:Sn(ITO)film (～ 4 nm) is used as the interlayer in the sandwiched structure of the multilayer films, i.e. glass/bottom BZO layer /ITO interlayer/top BZO layer. The surface properties can be improved through modulating the thickness of the top BZO layer. Appropriate thickness of top BZO layer and ITO interlayer are helpful for obtaining the cauliflower-like surface morphology and thus the sharp structure becomes relatively gentle, but the surface morphology still keeps a pyramid feature when depositing thicker top BZO layer. The relatively gentle surface morphology could promote crystallization quality ofc-Si:H thin film materials and reduce cracks in intrinsic layer and TCO/P-Si interface defects. Finally, this new sandwiched structure of multilayer ZnO films is applied in c-Si:H p-i-n thin film solar cells. Compared with traditional BZO films, the quantum efficiency (QE) of solar cells with a sandwiched structure of ZnO increases by about 10%, and both the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and short-circuit current density (Jsc) may increase and thus improve the solar cell efficiency.

Keywords:

Authors and contacts

1.
Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology, Tianjin Key laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology, Key laboratory of Opto-electronic Information Science and Technology for Ministry of Education, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
Funds: Project supported by the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (Grant Nos. 2011CBA00705, 2011CBA00706 2011CBA00707), the Major Science and Technology Support Project of Tianjin, China City (Grant No. 11TXSYGX22100), the Tianjin Applied Basic Research Project and Cutting-edge Technology Research Plan, China (Grant No. 13JCZDJC26900), the International Cooperation Project between China-Greece Government (Grant No. 2009DFA62580), the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2013AA050302), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 65010341).

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[27]	Fay S, Steinhauser J, Oliveira N, Sauvain E V, Ballif C 2007 Thin Solid Films 515 8558
[28]	Fay S, Steinhauser J, Nicolay S, Ballif C 2010 Thin Solid Films 518 2961
[29]	Beneking C, Rech B, Wieder S, Kluth O, Wagner H, Frammelsberger W, Geyer R, Lechner P, Rubel H, Schade H 1999 Thin Solid Films 351 241
[30]	Loffler J, Groenen R, Linden J L, S,en M C M, Schropp R E I 2001 Thin Solid Films 392 315
[31]	Bhosle V, Tiwari A, Narayan J 2006 J. Appl. Phys. 100 0331-713
[32]	Meillaud F, Feltrin A, Despeisse M, Haug F J, Domine D, Python M, Soderstrom T, Cuony P, Boccard M, Nicolay S, Ballif C 2011 Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 95 127
[33]	Muller J, Rech B, Springer J, Vanecek M 2004 Solar Energy 77 917
[34]	Krc J, Lipovsek B, Bokalic M, Campa A, Oyama T, Kambe M, Matsui T, Sai H, Kondo M, Topic M 2010 Thin Solid Films 518 3054
[35]	Despeisse M, Battaglia C, Boccard M, Bugnon G, Charriere M, Cuony P, Hanni S, Lofgren L, Meillaud F, Parasc,olo G, Soderstrom T, Ballif C 2011 Phys. Status Solidi 208 1863

Cited By

[1]	Meier J, Spitznagel J, Kroll U, Bucher C, Fay S, Moriarty T, Shah A 2004 Thin Solid Films 451-452 518
[2]	Wang L, Zhang X D, Yang X, Wei C C, Zhang D K, Wang G C, Sun J, Zhao Y 2013 Acta Phys. Sin. 62 058801 (in Chinese) [王利, 张晓丹, 杨旭, 魏长春, 张德坤, 王广才, 孙建, 赵颖 2013 62 058801]
[3]	Steinhauser J, Fay S, Oliveira N, Vallat-Sauvain E, Ballif C 2007 Appl. Phys. Lett. 90 142107
[4]	Addonizio M L, Antonaia A 2009 Thin Solid Films 518 1026
[5]	Zhang C, Chen X L, Wang F, Yan C B, Huang Q, Zhao Y, Zhang X D, Geng X H 2012 Acta Phys. Sin. 61 23 (in Chinese) [张翅, 陈新亮, 王斐, 闫聪博, 黄茜, 赵颖, 张晓丹, 耿新华 2012 61 23]
[6]	Kubon M, Boehmer E, Siebke F, Rech B, Beneking C, Wagner H 1996 Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 41-42 485
[7]	Nuruddin A, Abelson J R 2001 Thin Solid Films 394 49
[8]	Lai K C, Liu C C, Lu C H, Yeh C H, Houng M P 2010 Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 94 397
[9]	Jerome S 2008 Low pressure chemical vapor deposited zinc oxide for silicon thin film solar cells Ph. D. Dissertation (Neuchatel: Universite of Neuchatel Institut of Microtechnique)
[10]	Stiebig H, Siebke F, Beyer W, Beneking C, Rech B, Wagner H 1997 Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 48 351
[11]	Ganguly G, Carlson D E, Hegedus S S, Ryan D, Gordon R G, Pang D, Reedy R C 2004 Appl. Phys. Lett. 85 3
[12]	Boccard M, Cuony P, Despeisse M, Domine D, Feltrin A, Wyrsch N, Ballif C 2011 Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 95 195
[13]	Aswin H, Taweewat K, Ihsanul A Y, Shinsuke M, Makoto K 2010 Appl. Phys. Express 3 051102
[14]	Steinhauser J, Boucher J F, Omnes E, Borrello D, Sauvain E V, Monteduro G, Marmelo M, Orhan J B, Wolf B, Bailat J, Benagli S, Meier J, Kroll U 2011 Thin Solid Films 520 1218
[15]	Soderstrom K, Bugnon G, Haug F J, Nicolay S, Ballif C 2012 Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 101 193
[16]	Boccard M, Battaglia C, Hanni S, SoderstromK, Escarre J, Nicolay S, Meillaud F, Despeisse M, Ballif C 2012 Nano Lett. 12 1344
[17]	Messerschmidt D, Nicolay S, Ding L, Bugnon G, Meillaud F, Eberhardt J, Ballif C 2013 J. Appl. Phys. 113 024908
[18]	Yan C B, Chen X L, Wang F, Sun J, Zhang D K, Wei C C, Zhang X D, Zhao Y, Geng X H 2012 Thin Solid Films 521 249
[19]	Battaglia C, Escarre J, Soderstrom K, Boccard M, Ballif C 2012 Energy Procedia 15 206
[20]	Chen X L, Xue J M, Zhang D K, Sun J, Ren H Z, Zhao Y, Geng X H 2007 Acta Phys. Sin. 56 1563 (in Chinese) [陈新亮, 薛俊明, 张德坤, 孙建, 任慧志, 赵颖, 耿新华 2007 56 1563]
[21]	Saito T, Watanabe Y, Takahashi K, Matsuzawa T, Baosheng Sang, Konagai M 1997 Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 49 187
[22]	Nicolay S, Fay S, Ballif C 2009 Crystal Growth & Design 9 4957
[23]	Addonizio M L, Diletto C 2008 Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 92 1488
[24]	Xue Z Q, Wu Q D, Li H 1991 Physics of Thin Films (Beijing: Electronic Industry Press) pp20-42 (in Chinese) [薛增泉, 吴全德, 李浩 1991 薄膜物理(北京: 电子工业出版社) 第20–42页]
[25]	Yoo J, Lee J, Kim S, Yoon K, Park I J, Dhungel S K, Karunagaran B, Mangalaraj D, Yi J 2005 Thin Solid Films 480-481 213
[26]	Liu E K, Zhu B S, Luo J S 1994 Semiconductor Physics (Beijing: National Defense Industry Press) pp98-99 (in Chinese) [刘恩科, 朱秉升, 罗晋生 1994 半导体物理学(北京: 国防工业出版社) 第98–99页]
[27]	Fay S, Steinhauser J, Oliveira N, Sauvain E V, Ballif C 2007 Thin Solid Films 515 8558
[28]	Fay S, Steinhauser J, Nicolay S, Ballif C 2010 Thin Solid Films 518 2961
[29]	Beneking C, Rech B, Wieder S, Kluth O, Wagner H, Frammelsberger W, Geyer R, Lechner P, Rubel H, Schade H 1999 Thin Solid Films 351 241
[30]	Loffler J, Groenen R, Linden J L, S,en M C M, Schropp R E I 2001 Thin Solid Films 392 315
[31]	Bhosle V, Tiwari A, Narayan J 2006 J. Appl. Phys. 100 0331-713
[32]	Meillaud F, Feltrin A, Despeisse M, Haug F J, Domine D, Python M, Soderstrom T, Cuony P, Boccard M, Nicolay S, Ballif C 2011 Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 95 127
[33]	Muller J, Rech B, Springer J, Vanecek M 2004 Solar Energy 77 917
[34]	Krc J, Lipovsek B, Bokalic M, Campa A, Oyama T, Kambe M, Matsui T, Sai H, Kondo M, Topic M 2010 Thin Solid Films 518 3054
[35]	Despeisse M, Battaglia C, Boccard M, Bugnon G, Charriere M, Cuony P, Hanni S, Lofgren L, Meillaud F, Parasc,olo G, Soderstrom T, Ballif C 2011 Phys. Status Solidi 208 1863

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Vol. 63, Issue 5 - 2014-03-05

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