Thin-film Amorphous Silicon Alloy Research Partnership. Phase 2, Annual Technical Progress Report, 2 February 1996--1 February 1997

Thin-film Amorphous Silicon Alloy Research Partnership. Phase 2, Annual Technical Progress Report, 2 February 1996--1 February 1997
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Total Pages: 47
Release: 1997
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This is Phase II of a 3-phase, 3-year program. It is intended to expand, enhance, and accelerate knowledge and capabilities for developing high-performance, two-terminal multijunction amorphous Si alloy modules. We discuss investigations on back reflectors to improve cell performance and investigate uniformity in performance over a 1-sq.-ft. area. We present results on component cell performance, both in the initial and in the light-degraded states, deposited over a 1-sq.-ft. area. The uniformity in deposited is investigated by studying the performance of subcells deposited over the entire area. We also present results on the performance of triple- junction cells and modules. The modules use grid-lines and encapsulants compatible with our production technology. We discuss the novel laser-processing technique that has bee developed at United Solar to improve energy-conversion efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs. We discuss in detail the optimization of the processing steps, and the performance of a laser-processed, triple- junction device of 12.6 cm2 area is presented. We also present experimental results on investigations of module reliability.

Thin-film Amorphous Silicon Alloy Research Partnership, Phase I. Annual Technical Progress Report, February 2, 1995--February 1, 1996

Thin-film Amorphous Silicon Alloy Research Partnership, Phase I. Annual Technical Progress Report, February 2, 1995--February 1, 1996
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Total Pages: 44
Release: 1996
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The principal objective of this R & D program is to expand, enhance and accelerate knowledge and capabilities for the development of high-performance, two-terminal multifunction amorphous silicon (a-Si) alloy modules. The near-term goal of the program is to achieve 12% stable module efficiency by 1998 using the multifunction approach. This report describes research on back reflectors of Ag/TiO2/ZnO.

Amorphous Silicon Research. Phase III Technical Progress Report, August 1, 1996--July 31, 1997

Amorphous Silicon Research. Phase III Technical Progress Report, August 1, 1996--July 31, 1997
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Total Pages:
Release: 2001
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The principal objective of this R & D program is to expand, enhance and accelerate knowledge and capabilities for the development of high-performance, two-terminal multijunction hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si) alloy cells and modules. The near-term goal of the program is to achieve 12% stable active-area efficiency using the multijunction approach. The long-term goal is to achieve 15% stable efficiency multijunction modules. The major effort of this program is to develop high efficiency component cells and incorporate them in the triple-junction structure to obtain the highest stable efficiency. New and improved deposition regimes were investigated to obtain better cell performance. Fundamental studies to obtain better understanding of material and cell performance were undertaken.

Amorphous Silicon Research. Final Technical Progress Report, 1 August 1994--28 February 1998

Amorphous Silicon Research. Final Technical Progress Report, 1 August 1994--28 February 1998
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Total Pages: 97
Release: 1998
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This report describes the status and accomplishments of work performed under this subcontract by United Solar Systems. United Solar researchers explored several new deposition regimes/conditions to investigate their effect on material/device performance. To facilitate optimum ion bombardment during growth, a large parameter space involving chamber pressure, rf power, and hydrogen dilution were investigated. United Solar carried out a series of experiments using discharge modulation at various pulsed-plasma intervals to study the effect of Si-particle incorporation on solar cell performance. Hydrogen dilution during deposition is found to improve both the initial and stable performance of a-Si and a-SiGe alloy cells. Researchers conducted a series of temperature-ramping experiments on samples prepared with high and low hydrogen dilutions to study the effect of hydrogen effusion on solar cell performance. Using an internal photoemission method, the electrical bandgap of a microcrystalline p layer used in high-efficiency solar cells was measured to be 1.6 eV. New measurement techniques were developed to evaluate the interface and bulk contributions of losses to solar cell performance. Researchers replaced hydrogen with deuterium and found deuterated amorphous silicon alloy solar cells exhibit reduced light-induced degradation. The incorporation of a microcrystalline n layer in a multijunction cell is seen to improve cell performance. United Solar achieved a world-record single-junction a-Si alloy stable cell efficiency of 9.2% with an active area of 0.25 cm2 grown with high hydrogen dilution. They also achieved a world-record triple-junction, stable, active-area cell efficiency of 13.0% with an active area of 0.25 cm2.

Amorphous Silicon Research. Final Technical Report, 13 September 1994--28 February 1998

Amorphous Silicon Research. Final Technical Report, 13 September 1994--28 February 1998
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Total Pages: 0
Release: 1998
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The Solarex research and development program has focused for the last few years on developing a high-performance amorphous silicon tandem process and on scaling it up to large areas. Significant progress has been made in several areas: (1) improved understanding of the light-induced degradation of amorphous silicon alloys, (2) the processing time for tandem device structures has been reduced by 21%, (3) the feedstock gas utilization has been increased by 30%, (4) stabilized conversion efficiencies of more than 8% have been demonstrated in 4-ft2 tandem modules made in a pilot production mode, and (4) the tandem module process has been transferred to a Solarex manufacturing plant in Virginia that is capable of producing 10 MW of 8.6-ft2 tandem modules per year.

Amorphous and Heterogeneous Silicon-Based Films - 2002: Volume 715

Amorphous and Heterogeneous Silicon-Based Films - 2002: Volume 715
Author: J. David Cohen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2002-10-11
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9781558996519

This book on amorphous silicon technology shows a trend towards technologies based on amorphous and heterogeneous silicon (solar cells, TFTs, imaging arrays, sensors, etc.) and brings together researchers from around the world to share their expanding expertise. The book contains eleven chapters and focuses on basic mechanisms of growth (as well as new approaches to film growth); hot wire, CVD-produced amorphous and microcrystalline films and related subjects of film crystallization and recrystallization; the electronic structure and transport properties of silicon-based thin films are discussed, together with hydrogen microstructure and metastability. Silicon nitride, four on alloys with germanium, and two dealing predominantly with silicon carbide are looked at. There is also focus on photovoltaic devices based on either amorphous or microcrystalline (or mixed phase) materials. It also offers a look at thin-film transistors, as well as related types of imaging and sensing arrays and there are papers on novel device structures and new types of technologies being developed using amorphous/heterogeneous thin film, silicon-based materials.

Amorphous and Heterogeneous Silicon-Based Films - 2002:

Amorphous and Heterogeneous Silicon-Based Films - 2002:
Author: J. David Cohen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 830
Release: 2014-06-05
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9781107411944

This book on amorphous silicon technology shows a trend towards technologies based on amorphous and heterogeneous silicon (solar cells, TFTs, imaging arrays, sensors, etc.) and brings together researchers from around the world to share their expanding expertise. The book contains eleven chapters and focuses on basic mechanisms of growth (as well as new approaches to film growth); hot wire, CVD-produced amorphous and microcrystalline films and related subjects of film crystallization and recrystallization; the electronic structure and transport properties of silicon-based thin films are discussed, together with hydrogen microstructure and metastability. Silicon nitride, four on alloys with germanium, and two dealing predominantly with silicon carbide are looked at. There is also focus on photovoltaic devices based on either amorphous or microcrystalline (or mixed phase) materials. It also offers a look at thin-film transistors, as well as related types of imaging and sensing arrays and there are papers on novel device structures and new types of technologies being developed using amorphous/heterogeneous thin film, silicon-based materials.