Electrodeposited diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on n-Si(100) substrates for photovoltaic application

Abstract Synthesis of n-Si/diamond-like carbon (DLC) bi-layer films was realized by depositing DLC films on n-Si (100) substrate by a simple electrodeposition technique using acetonitrile (CH 3 CN) as the electrolyte. The films were characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman studies. Solar cell characteristics were investigated critically. Open circuit voltage ( V oc ) and short circuit current density ( J sc ) obtained for the best n-Si (100)/DLC structure were 335 mV and 9.6 mA/cm 2 , respectively, corresponding to a total conversion efficiency of η = 1.65%. Open circuit photovoltage decay measurement was carried out to determine the carrier lifetime. Photoinduced charge separation in the n-Si (100)/DLC structure could be associated with an increase in the dielectric constant and a decrease in the device resistance. The process is cheap, reproducible and scalable, involving significantly lesser process steps. This is likely to usher in a new hope to the current competitive scenario of photovoltaic (PV) technology.