Semiconductor device for converting light into electric energy
First Claim
1. A semiconductor device for the conversion of incident solar radiation into electrical energy, comprising an amorphous silicon body having a surface to be exposed to the incident radiation, and a cover layer or doped semiconductor material which is arranged on the surface of the amorphous silicon body to be exposed to incident radiation, the amorphous silicon body being one of relatively slightly doped, oppositely doped, or intrinsic amorphous silicon adjacent its surface to be exposed and forming with the cover layer, a heterotransition zone, the cover layer consisting of a polycrystalline silicon layer obtained by deposition from a gaseous phase comprising a silicon containing gas and having a thickness of 0.15 micron at most and an average grain size parallel to the surface which is larger than said thickness by a factor of about two, resulting directly from the deposition process, whereby even the blue-violet part of solar radiation is absorbed by the amorphous silicon body adjacent its incident surface, thereby increasing the efficiency of conversion of the solar radiation into electrical energy.
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Abstract
A semiconductor device for converting light into electric energy comprises at least one layer of amorphous silicon with a surface thereof which is intended to be exposed to light covered by a cover layer of polycrystalline silicon. The use of the polycrystalline silicon increases the current yield in the blue light range of the solar spectrum. A method of producing such a semiconductor device is also disclosed.
27 Citations
7 Claims
- 1. A semiconductor device for the conversion of incident solar radiation into electrical energy, comprising an amorphous silicon body having a surface to be exposed to the incident radiation, and a cover layer or doped semiconductor material which is arranged on the surface of the amorphous silicon body to be exposed to incident radiation, the amorphous silicon body being one of relatively slightly doped, oppositely doped, or intrinsic amorphous silicon adjacent its surface to be exposed and forming with the cover layer, a heterotransition zone, the cover layer consisting of a polycrystalline silicon layer obtained by deposition from a gaseous phase comprising a silicon containing gas and having a thickness of 0.15 micron at most and an average grain size parallel to the surface which is larger than said thickness by a factor of about two, resulting directly from the deposition process, whereby even the blue-violet part of solar radiation is absorbed by the amorphous silicon body adjacent its incident surface, thereby increasing the efficiency of conversion of the solar radiation into electrical energy.
Specification