Si thin-film solar cells using SiH2Cl2 by rf plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

The fabrication of p–i–n structured Si thin-film solar cells by rf plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) of a SiH2Cl2–H2 mixture is presented. A novel p-type nanocrystalline Si:H:Cl film was synthesized from H2-diluted SiH2Cl2 and SiCl4 which showed high conductivity and low optical absorption in the visible and near-infrared regions. An efficiency of 6.2% was achieved in a-Si:H:Cl p–i–n structured solar cells fabricated for the first time from a SiH2Cl2–H2 mixture at a substrate temperature Ts of 340 °C despite using a single chamber system. Thus, in addition to SiH4, SiH2Cl2 is also a possible candidate for a source material for fabricating Si thin-film solar cells using PE-CVD at low temperatures.