Optical properties of a-SiGe:H solar cells on textured substrates

• Published in: Journal of non-crystalline solids 1998-01, Vol.227, p.1262-1266
• Main Authors: van den Berg, J.H, Zeman, M, Metselaar, J.W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: a-SiGe:H; Modeling; Optical properties
• ISSN: 0022-3093; 1873-4812
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-3093(98)00280-4

The optical numerical simulator for multi-layer structures with textured interfaces, GENPRO2, was improved and applied to determine the scattering parameters of textured interfaces of a-SiGe:H solar cells. A sensitivity study was carried out in which the relative effects of the various scattering parameters of the interfaces on the quantum efficiency (QE) of the solar cells were investigated. The optical properties of the separate layers were determined and extrapolated to energies at which they could not be measured accurately. A series of four a-SiGe:H solar cells with various thicknesses of the intrinsic layer was grown and their QE properties were measured. The contribution of the scattering of the various interfaces was determined by matching the measured and the simulated QE properties. The haze values of the transparent conductive oxide/p-doped layer (TCO/p) interface found by our simulations agree well with reports in the literature. In contrast to other model results, we show that besides the scattering at the TCO/p- and n-doped layer/Ag interface, the scattering at the p/insulator and the insulator/n interface also has to be taken into account in calculating the QE characteristics.