Properties of a-SiC : H films and solar cells

a-SiC:H samples and solar cells were made by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using a multichamber deposition system. The effect of l ight illumination on samples prepared with and without hydrogen dilution wa s studied. The phototransport properties of the samples prepared with high hydrogen dilution were more stable versus time of illumination than non dil uted ones. The samples were inserted as an intrinsic layer in semitranspare nt solar cells. The performance of solar cells depends on the energy gap an d thickness of the intrinsic layer. High hydrogen dilution may increase the energy gap and act to decrease the structure uniformity. The results show that open circuit voltage Voc decreases with light illumination and depends on the doped p+ layer quality and created defects in the intrinsic layer.