Hydrogen Content, Transport Properties And Light Degradation Of A-si:h Films Containing Artificially Generated Interfaces

Using different methods, intrinsic a-Si:H/a-Si:H interfaces were artificially generated in hydrogenated amorphous silicon films. Three types of interfaces were studied: (i) interfaces in which only the regrowth mechanisms were present; (ii) interfaces where both the regrowth mechanisms and the initial transient state of the discharge were present; and (iii) interfaces in which the initial transient state of the discharge was the dominant mechanism. The resulting material was characterized by measuring the hydrogen content, the electronic density of states, the transport properties and the film stability as a function of the interface type and density. It was found that samples containing interfaces of the first type are not very different from samples without interfaces and that transient discharge processes produce accumulation of hydrogen in the interface, which could relieve strains in the network. In order to investigate the influence of this strain-relieving mechanism on the Staebler-Wronski effect, p-i-n solar cells containing these H-rich interfaces were prepared and measured, together with "normal" cells. It was found that the former cells are more stable than the "normal" cells. The results of the present paper provide a new and promising way to circumvent the problem of the long term stability of hydrogenated amorphous solar cells. © 1988.171116Jackson, Biegelsen, Nemanich, Knights, (1983) Appl. Phys. Lett., 42, p. 105Collins, Pawlowski, (1986) J. Appl. Phys., 59, p. 1160Abeles, Yang, Persans, Stasiewski, Lanford, (1986) Appl. Phys. Lett., 48, p. 168Hundhausen, Santos, Ley, Habraken, Beyer, Primig, Gorges, (1987) J. Appl. Phys., 61, p. 556Nakayama, Ohtusuchi, Nakano, Kawamura, Initial transient phenomena in the plasma decomposition of silane (1985) Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 77-78, p. 757(1987) Partial results of the present paper were presented at the 7th EC Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, p. 555. , Sevilla, Spain, October 1986, Reidel, Dordrecht, HollandEquer, Huc, Lloret, Roca i Cabarrocas, Schmitt, (1987) Proc. 7th EC Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conf., p. 533. , Reidel, Dordrecht, HollandShanks, Fang, Ley, Cardona, Demond, Kalbitzer, (1980) Phys. Status Solidi, 100 B, p. 43Sardin, Andreu, Delgado, Esteve, Morenza, (1987) 7th EC Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conf., p. 577. , Reidel, Dordrecht, HollandJackson, Amer, (1982) Phys. Rev., 25 B, p. 5559Knights, Growth morphology and defects in plasma-deposited a-Si:H films (1980) Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 35-36, p. 159Kampas, Griffith, (1981) Appl. Phys. Lett., 39, p. 407Nguyen, Pan, (1984) Appl. Phys. Lett., 45, p. 134Ross, Johncock, Chan, (1984) J. Non-Cryst. Solids, 66, p. 81Abeles, Tiedje, Liang, Deckman, Stasiewski, Scanlon, Eisenberg, (1984) J. Non-Cryst. Solids, 66, p. 351Kampas, Griffith, Origin of emitting species in the plasma deposition of a‐Si:H alloys (1981) Journal of Applied Physics, 52, p. 1985Paduschek, Höpfl, Mitlehner, (1983) Thin Solid Films, 110, p. 291Phillips, (1979) J. Non-Cryst. Solids, 34, p. 153Cody, Tiedje, Abeles, Moustakas, Brooks, Goldstein, DISORDER AND THE OPTICAL ABSORPTION EDGE OF HYDROGENATED AMORPHOUS SILICON (1981) Le Journal de Physique Colloques, 42, pp. C4-301Lucovsky, Pollard, The Physics of Hydrogenated Silicon (1984) Topics in Appl. Phys., 56. , J.D. Joannopoulos, G. Lucovsky, Springer, FRGStaebler, Wronski, (1977) Appl. Phys. Lett., 31, p. 292Dersch, Stuke, Beichler, (1981) Appl. Phys. Lett., 38, p. 456Stutzmann, Jackson, Tsai, Kinetics of the Staebler–Wronski effect in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (1984) Applied Physics Letters, 45, p. 10Stutzmann, Jackson, Tsai, (1985) Phys. Rev., 32 B, p. 23Adler, (1983) Solar Cells, 9, p. 133Stutzmann, (1985) Appl. Phys. Lett., 47, p. 21I. Chambouleyron and F. Alvarez, unpublished dat