Amorphous silicon-based photovoltaic semiconductor materials free from Staebler-Wronski effects

摘要

Alloys of amorphous silicon with Group VIa elements are disclosed that form high-quality materials for photovoltaic cells that are resistant to Staebler-Wronski photodegradation. Also disclosed are methods for manufacturing the alloys. The alloys can be formed as films on solid-state substrates by reacting silane gas and at least one alloying gas (H2M, wherein M is an element from Group VIa of the periodic table), preferably with hydrogen dilution, by a glow-discharge method such as plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The alloys can have an optical bandgap energy from about 1.0 eV to about 2.3 eV, as determined by selecting one or more different Group VIa elements for alloying or by changing the concentration(s) of the alloying element(s) in the alloy. The alloys exhibit excellent light-to-dark conductivity ratios, excellent structural quality, and resistance to Staebler-Wronski degradation. They can be used as "i" type or doped for use as "p" or "n" type materials.