Performance of p-type silicon-oxide windows in amorphous silicon solar cell

a-SiOx films have been prepared using silane and pure oxygen as reactive ga ses in plasma CVD system. Diborane was introduced as a doping gas to obtain p-type conduction silicon oxide. Infrared absorption spectra show the inco rporation of Si-O stretch mode around 1000 cm(-1). The optical bandgap incr eases with the oxygen to silane gas ratio, while the electrical conductivit y decreases. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells have been fabricate d using p-type a-SiOx with around 1.85 eV optical bandgap and conductivity greater than 10(-7) S/cm, The measured current-voltage characteristics of t he solar cells under 100 mW/cm(2) artificial light are V-oc = 0.84 V, J(sc) = 14.7 mA/cm(2), FF = 0.635 with a conversion efficiency of 7.84%. (C) 200 1 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.