0.5 /spl mu/m-thick /spl mu/c-Si solar cell grown by photo-CVD on highly textured SnO/sub 2/

Microcrystalline silicon (/spl mu/c-Si) films and solar cells were prepared by mercury-sensitized photochemical vapor deposition (photo-CVD). The microstructures of the /spl mu/c-Si films on textured SnO/sub 2/ with different haze ratios (from 5% to 64%) were observed with a scanning electron microscope. The observation revealed that the grain boundary density of /spl mu/c-Si on SnO/sub 2/ with higher haze ratios was lower than that on SnO/sub 2/ with lower haze ratios. The effect of textured SnO/sub 2/ with different haze ratios on p-i-n /spl mu/c-Si cell characteristics was discussed and it was found that the optimal haze ratio was around 40%. The 0.6 /spl mu/m-thick /spl mu/c-Si cell on 36%-haze SnO/sub 2/ with a conversion efficiency of 7.3% was achieved.