The nanostructure of hydrogenated amorphous silicon, examined by means of thermal annealing and light soaking

Photovoltaic energy is one of the key components of a sustainable energy future. While the market is currently dominated by crystalline silicon solar modules, thin-film silicon technology holds the promise of a cheap, resource-efficient and versatile alternative. The major drawback of thin-film silicon PV is its relatively low conversion...

Studying the nanostructure of a-Si:h solar cell absorber layers using positrion annihilation and neutron reflectometry

Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon (a-Si:H) is a very promising solar cell material with a good potential to use in many applications, as it is cheap to produce, light-weight and flexible. However, upon prolonged exposure to light, the layers suffer from both metastable and irreversible changes (the Staebler-Wronski effect) that have a bad effect on...