Issue 12, 2021

Nanocrystalline silicon thin film growth and application for silicon heterojunction solar cells: a short review

Abstract

Doped nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin films offer improved carrier transport characteristics and reduced parasitic absorption compared to amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films for silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cell application. In this article, we review the growth conditions of nc-Si:H thin films as the carrier-selective layers for SHJ solar cells. Surface and growth zone models are analysed at different stages of incubation, nucleation, and growth of the silicon nanocrystallites within the hydrogenated amorphous silicon matrix. The recent developments in the implementation of nc-Si:H films and oxygen-alloyed nc-SiOx:H films for SHJ cells are highlighted. Furthermore, hydrogen and carbon dioxide plasma treatments are emphasised as the critical process modification steps for augmenting the nc-Si:H films' optoelectronic properties to enhance the SHJ device performance with better carrier-selective interfaces.

Graphical abstract: Nanocrystalline silicon thin film growth and application for silicon heterojunction solar cells: a short review

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
24 sen 2020
Accepted
18 apr 2021
First published
17 may 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale Adv., 2021,3, 3373-3383

Nanocrystalline silicon thin film growth and application for silicon heterojunction solar cells: a short review

M. Sharma, J. Panigrahi and V. K. Komarala, Nanoscale Adv., 2021, 3, 3373 DOI: 10.1039/D0NA00791A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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