Extension of the a-Si : H electronic transport model to mu c-Si : H: use of the mu(0)tau(0) product to correlate electronic transport properties and solar cell performances

The aim of this communication is to show that it is possible to extend the model of the electronic transport developed for amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) to microcrystalline silicon (mu c-Si:H). By describing the electronic trans port with the mu(0)tau(R) products (mobility x recombination time) as a fun ction of the Fermi level, we observed the same behaviour for both materials , indicating a similar type of recombination. Moreover, applying the normal ised mu(0)tau(0) product (mobility x life-time) obtained by combining the p hotoconductivity (sigma(photo)) and the ambipolar diffusion length (L-amb) measured in individual layers, we are able, as in the case of a-Si:H, to pr edict the quality of the solar cells incorporating these layers as the acti ve [i] layer. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.