Development of aluminum-doped ZnO films for a-Si:H/μc-Si:H solar cell applications

This study deals with the optimization of direct current (DC) sputtered aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films and their incorporation into a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem junction thin film solar cells aiming for high conversion efficiency. Electrical and optical properties of AZO films, i.e. mobility, carrier density, resistivity, and transmittance, were comprehensively characterized and analyzed by varying sputtering deposition conditions, including chamber pressure, substrate temperature, and sputtering power. The correlations between sputtering processes and AZO thin film properties were first investigated. Then, the AZO films were textured by diluted hydrochloric acid wet etching. Through optimization of deposition and texturing processes, AZO films yield excellent electrical and optical properties with a high transmittance above 81% over the 380–1100 nm wavelength range, low sheet resistance of 11 Ω/□ and high haze ratio of 41.3%. In preliminary experiments, the AZO films were applied to a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem thin film solar cells as front contact electrodes, resulting in an initial conversion efficiency of 12.5% with good current matching between subcells.