Interface recombination in heterojunctions of amorphous and crystalline silicon

Abstract

Heterojunction solar cells consisting of an n-type a-Si:H(n) emitter and a p-type monocrystalline silicon wafer have been studied with particular emphasis on the role of interface recombination. It is shown that the form of the I– V characteristics and the effective interface recombination velocity depend on the treatment of the Si-wafer prior to the deposition of the amorphous emitter. Numerical simulation suggests that the non-exponential (S-shape) dependence of the I– V curves under illumination arises from a high density of interface states which results in enhanced recombination via interface states.