Improved micromorph tandem cell performance through enhanced top cell currents

Two approaches to increasing the current in the amorphous silicon top cell of an amorphous silicon/ microcrystalline silicon (a-Si:H/μc-Si:H) tandem cell are presented. Our goal is to raise the stabilized efficiency of such cells. The deposition of the amorphous top cell at higher than standard substrate temperature is shown to reduce the optical gap of the i-layer and to increase the current which is generated with a given i-layer thickness. Furthermore, a selectively reflecting ZnO interface layer between the component cells is presented as a viable tool for enhancing the current generation in the top cell by selective reflection of light. We present a micromorph tandem cell containing the amorphous top cell deposited at high substrate temperature, and additionally the ZnO mirror layer. A top cell thickness of 150 nm is shown to be sufficient to provide a current density of 13 mA/cm² in the top cell. Finally, the influence of such thin top cells on the stabilized efficiency of the tandem cell is investigated by experiment and by means of semi-empirical modeling. Model and experiment confirm that such reduced-gap top cells, together with current enhancement due to the mirror layer, have a high potential for improving the stabilized efficiency of micromorph tandem cells