Nanocrystalline silicon carbide films for solar cells

Nanocrystalline silicon carbide (nc-SiC) films as protective coating and as solar cell material for a harsh environment, high temperatures, light intensities and radiation, were investigated.pand n-types 100-mm silicon wafers with (100) orientation were used as substrates for SiC films deposition.The films were deposited using High-Frequency Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (HF-PECVD) with CH 3 SiCl 3 gas as a silicon and carbon source.Hydrogen supplied CH 3 SiCl 3 molecules in the field of HF discharge.Deposition was carried out on a cold substrate.The power density was 12.7 W/cm 2 .Deposition conditions were explored to prepare films with a controlled band gap and a low defect density.Formation of nc-3C-SiC films has been confirmed by the high resolution-transmission electron microscopy analysis, optical band gap values E Tauc , conductivity, charge carrier activation energy and Hall measurements.The efficiency of photoconductivity was calculated for evaluating the photoconductivity properties and for the correlations with technology.For p-n junction creation in solar cell fabrication, the ntypes nc-SiC films were doped with Al.Employing Al as a doping material of nc-n-SiC, the open-circuit voltage as high as 1.43 V has been achieved.