Thin-film microcrystalline silicon solar cells: 11.9% efficiency and beyond

Abstract

High-efficiency thin-film hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon solar cells (µc-Si:H) were developed using a periodically textured substrate at a relatively high growth rate of ∼1 nm s−1. A record efficiency of 11.9% was independently confirmed in a µc-Si:H cell with an absorber thickness of approximately 2 µm. An improvement in fill factor contributed largely to realizing the record efficiency. The potential for further efficiency improvements was examined on the basis of suns–VOC measurement, indicating that an efficiency of 12.5% is practically achievable.