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PERFORMANCE of HYDROGENATED a-Si:H SOLAR CELLS with DOWNSHIFTING COATING

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2011

Bill Nemeth
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, 80401
Yueqin Xu
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, 80401
Haorong Wang
Affiliation:
Sun Innovations, Inc, Fremont, CA 94539
Ted Sun
Affiliation:
Sun Innovations, Inc, Fremont, CA 94539
Benjamin G. Lee
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, 80401
Anna Duda
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, 80401
Qi Wang
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, 80401
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Abstract

We apply a thin luminescent downshifting (LDS) coating to a hydrogenated amorphous Si (a-Si:H) solar cell and study the mechanism of possible current enhancement. The conversion material used in this study converts wavelengths below 400 nm to a narrow line around 615 nm. This material is coated on the front of the glass of the a-Si:H solar cell with a glass/TCO/p/i/n/Ag superstrate configuration. The initial efficiency of the solar cell without the LDS coating is above 9.0 % with open circuit voltage of 0.84 V. Typically, the spectral response below 400 nm of an a-Si:H solar cell is weaker than that at 615 nm. By converting ultraviolet (UV) light to red light, the solar cell will receive more red photons; therefore, solar cell performance is expected to improve. We observe evidence of downshifting in reflectance spectra. The cell Jsc decreases by 0.13 mA/cm2, and loss mechanisms are identified.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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References

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