Numerical 3D-Simulation of Micromorph Silicon Thin Film Solar Cells

ABSTRACTIn this contribution 1, 2 and 3-dimensional simulations of micromorph silicon solar cells are presented. In order to simulate solar cells with rough interfaces, the surface topographies were measured via atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transferred into the commercial software Sentaurus TCAD (Synopsys). The model of the structure includes layer thicknesses and optoelectronic parameters like complex refractive index and defect structure. Results of the space resolved optical generation rates by using of the optical solver Raytracer are presented. The space resolved optical generation rate inside the semiconductor layers depends on the structure of the transparent conductive oxides (TCO) interface. In this contribution the influence of different optical generation rates on the electrical characteristics of the solar cell device are investigated. Furthermore, the optical and electrical results of the 1D, 2D and 3D structures, which have equal layer thicknesses and optoelectronic parameters, are compared.

Temperature Dependence of the Growth and Saturation of Light-Induced Defects in a-Si:H

ABSTRACTWe report new experimental data on the light-soaking of a-Si:H with a Kr-ion laser at an optical generation rate G of at least 4×1021 to 3×1022 cm-3s1. We studied the temperature and intensity dependence of the saturation of the defect density and found that the saturation value of light-induced defects (Nsat) is insensitive to temperature and light intensity below about 90°C. Above 90°C Nsat drops with increasing temperature. This behavior can be explained within the defect pool model by a limited number of defect sites coupled with an annealing process.