Microscopic Characterizations of Nanostructured Silicon Thin Films for Solar Cells

ABSTRACTMicroscopic characterization of mixed phase silicon thin films by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) was used to study the structure composed of conical microcrystalline grains dispersed in amorphous matrix. C-AFM experiments were interpreted using simulations of electric field and current distributions. Density of absorbed optical power was calculated by numerically solving the Maxwell equations. The goal of this study is to combine both models in order to simulate local photoconductivity for understanding the charge photogeneration and collection in nanostructured solar cells.