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Characterization of the Evolution in Metastable Defects Created by Recombination of Carriers Generated by Photo-generation and Injection in p-i-n a-Si:H Solar Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Jingdong Deng ,
Benjamin Rross ,
Mathew Albert ,
Robert Collins  and
Christopher Wronski
Benjamin Rross
Affiliation:
benross@gmail.com, Pensylvania State University, Center for Thin Film Materials and Devices, University Park, 16802, United States
Mathew Albert
Affiliation:
crwece@engr. psu. edu, Pensylvania State University, Center for Thin Film Materials and Devices, University Park, 16802, United States
Robert Collins
Affiliation:
rwc6@psu.edu, University of Toledo, Toledo, 43606, United States
Christopher Wronski
Affiliation:
crwece @engr.psu. edu, Pensylvania State University, Center for Thin Film Materials and Devices, University Park, 16802, United States
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Abstract

The creation of metastable defects in the bulk of the intrinsic layers of a-Si:H p-i-n solar cells by recombination of photo-generated carriers as well as those injected under far forward bias has been investigated. The evolutions in the defects, created with volume-absorbed red light at open circuit voltage and constant far forward bias currents, were characterized with the Shockley-Reed-Hall recombination obtained from the dark currents under low forward bias voltages. This allowed the kinetics to be studied at different temperatures in the absence of isothermal annealing. It is found that the form of the kinetics obtained with the two methods are the same and a detailed study was carried out with currents from 1 to 100mA/cm2 with carrier injection during which the electron and hole concentrations remain essentially constant. This kinetics is similar to that reported for thin film results exhibiting stretched exponential behavior with a t1/3 relation over a limited regime before the onset of saturation. By separating the contributions of the metastable defects from the intrinsic defects, their evolution is found to have a t1/2 dependence over the entire range prior to the onset of saturation. Since these kinetics also exhibit an (intensity)2t dependence they point to a rate equation for the creation of metastable defects, Nms, dNms / dt ~ (intensity)2 / Nms, which is suggestive of new creation mechanisms for SWE defects.

Keywords

amorphousphotovoltaicSi
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 910: Symposium A – Amorphous and Polycrystalline Thin-Film Silicon Science and Technology – 2006 , 2006 , 0910-A02-02
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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