Simulation of the effect of p-layer properties on the electrical behaviour of a-Si:H thin film solar cells

Simulation data of the performance of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin film solar cells using the software package Sentaurus TCAD (Synopsis Inc.) are presented. The Sentaurus software is configured with standard theoretical models describing e.g. the density of states in the mobility gap of a-Si:H, generation/recombination statistics, optical data of a-Si:H thin films etc. to calculate illuminated current voltage curves and the respective spectral response for the initial and degraded state of the solar cell. For the selected physical properties of the solar cell the simulation data predicts a maximum of the efficiency for an intrinsic a-Si:H layer thickness between 200-250 nm. Furthermore, a guideline for the optimization of the p-doped layer thickness and the doping concentration is given.