SnO2:F/n-Si and In2O3:Sn/n-Si semiconductor/insulator/ semiconductor solar cells

Solar cells comprising chemically deposited SnO2:F and In2O3:Sn, a thin SiOx layer grown in concentrated HNO3 and n-Si substrates with (100) orientation yielded efficiencies of about 11%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies of the SnO2:F films revealed fluorine doping in SnO2. No trace of SnO or Sn3O4 compounds was observed. The amount of fluorine present in the films ([F]/[Sn] ≈ 0.08) was much less than that in the solution ([F]/[Sn] ≈ 1.02). In the In2O3:Sn films the tin replaced indium rather than forming an alloy of In2O3 and SnO2. The dark current density versus voltage characteristics revealed the mechanism of transport to be multistep tunnelling. High frequency capacitance-voltage measurements showed that the junction is abrupt with barrier heights of 0.96 eV and 0.93 eV in SnO2:F/n-Si and In2O3:Sn/n-Si heterostructures respectively.

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