Studies of the Structure of Amorphous Silicon Solar Cell Materials and Devices Using Surface Analysis Techniques

Thin film hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells have been improved significantly through research, development and manufacturing since their discovery twenty years ago, but there are still a number of fundamental problems and issues that must be resolved before they can reach their full potential. There is still a significant lack of knowledge about the structure and bonding of hydrogenated amorphous silicon and the role these factors play in determining both its performance and stability in devices. This paper will show how ultra high vacuum surface analysis techniques can be used to study the structure and bonding of hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cell materials and devices and how they can be applied to studies of such practical problems as the StaeblerWronski effect.