Abstract
The influence of grain boundary (GB) properties on device parameters of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin film solar cells is investigated by two-dimensional device simulation. A realistic poly-Si thin film model cell composed of antireflection layer, (n + )-type emitter, thick p -type absorber, and (p + )-type back surface field was created. The absorber consists of a low-defect crystalline Si grain with an adjacent highly defective grain boundary layer. The performances of a reference cell without GB, one with n -type and one with p -type GB, respectively, are compared. The doping concentration and defect density at the GB are varied. It is shown that the impact of the grain boundary on the poly-Si cell is twofold: a local potential barrier is created at the GB, and a part of the photogenerated current flows within the GB. Regarding the cell performance, a highly doped n -type GB is less critical in terms of the cell’s short circuit current than a highly doped p -type GB, but more detrimental in terms of the cell’s open circuit voltage and fill factor.
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