Title
Modification of light scattering properties of boron doped zinc oxide grown by low pressure chemical vapour deposition using wet chemical etching
Date Issued
20 December 2010
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
conference paper
Author(s)
Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH
Abstract
The best light scattering properties for ZnO:B films grown by Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD) require low doping in the precursors and films. Such films must be thicker than 2 μm to achieve sheet resistances ≤ 20 Ω/sq, suitable for thin film silicon solar cells. In this study, ZnO:B films, grown by LPCVD with different doping levels, were etched using several solutions so as to modify their surface morphology in a quick and simple way. The haze ratio, at 800 nm, of the films increased from values below 10 % to about 20 % after etching. Observation of the SEM micrographs confirmed that the film surface had been modified by the etching process. Highly doped films could be etched to achieve a high haze while keeping the sheet resistance below 15 Ω/sq. Tandem junctions consisting of amorphous silicon p-i-n and micro-crystalline silicon p-i-n solar cells grown on etched highly doped ZnO:B films exhibited higher open circuit voltage than those on a natively textured lower doped films. Further optimization of both the etching process and the starting ZnO:B material is expected to lead to higher solar cell efficiency. These results show that the optimum thickness of ZnO:B front contacts in thin film silicon can be reduced, potentially cutting production time and material costs. © 2010 IEEE.
Start page
1474
End page
1478
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ingeniería del Petróleo, (combustibles, aceites), Energía, Combustibles
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-78650128403
ISSN of the container
01608371
ISBN of the container
9781424458912
Conference
Conference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference: 35th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2010
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus