A-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem junction based photocathodes with high open-circuit voltage for efficient hydrogen production

Journal of Materials Research

Volumn 29, Issue 22, 2014, Pages 2605-2614

  Urbain, Félix ^a   Smirnov, Vladimir ^a   Becker, Jan Philipp ^a   Rau, Uwe ^a   Finger, Friedhelm ^a   Ziegler, Jürgen ^b   Kaiser, Bernhard ^b   Jaegermann, Wolfram ^b  

^a FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JÜLICH   (Germany)

^b DARMSTADT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY   (Germany)

Author keywords

photochemical; photovoltaic; Si

Indexed keywords

BUFFER LAYERS; CONVERSION EFFICIENCY; ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS; FIELD EMISSION CATHODES; HYDROGEN PRODUCTION; MICROCRYSTALS; OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE; PHOTOCATHODES; PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS; PLASMA CVD; PLASMA ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION; SILANES; SILICON; SOLAR ENERGY; SOLAR POWER GENERATION; THIN FILM CIRCUITS; THIN FILM SOLAR CELLS; TIMING CIRCUITS;

AMORPHOUS SILICON (A-SI:H); PHOTOCHEMICAL; PHOTOVOLTAIC; SHORT-CIRCUIT PHOTOCURRENT; SINGLE JUNCTION SOLAR CELLS; SOLAR HYDROGEN PRODUCTION; THICKNESS REDUCTION; WATER ELECTROLYSIS;

AMORPHOUS SILICON;

EID: 84914679086     PISSN: 08842914     EISSN: 20445326     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2014.308     Document Type: Article

References (38)

1. E. Miller: White Papers on Materials for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting (DOE PEC Working Group, Washington, DC, 2013).
2. C.A. Grimes, O.K. Varghese, and S. Ranjan: Light, Water, Hydrogen: The Solar Generation of Hydrogen by Water Photo-electrolysis (Springer, New York, 2008).
3. Z. Li, W. Luo, M. Zhang, J. Feng, and Z. Zou: Photoelectrochemical cells for solar hydrogen production: Current state of promising photoelectrodes, methods to improve their properties, and outlook. Energy Environ. Sci. 6, 347-370 (2013).
4. M.F. Weber and M.J. Dignam: Splitting water with semiconducting photoelectrodes-Efficiency considerations. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 11(4), 225-232 (1986).
5. A.J. Nozik: Photoelectrochemistry: Applications to solar energy conversion. Ann. Rev. Phys. Chem. 29, 189-222 (1978).
6. O. Khaselev and J.A. Turner: A monolithic photovoltaic-photoelectrochemical device for hydrogen production via water splitting. Science 280(5362), 425-527 (1998).
7. O. Khaselev, A. Bansal, and J.A. Turner: High-efficiency integrated multijunction photovoltaic/electrolysis systems for hydrogen production. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 26(2), 127-132 (2001).
8. S. Licht, B. Wang, S. Mukerji, T. Soga, M. Umeno, and H. Tributsch: Over 18% solar energy conversion to generation of hydrogen fuel; theory and experiment for efficient solar water splitting. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 26, 653-659 (2001).
9. T.J. Jacobsson, V. Fjällström, M. Sahlberg, M. Edoff, and T. Edvinsson: A monolithic device for solar water splitting based on series interconnected thin film absorbers reaching over 10% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency. Energy Environ. Sci. 6, 3676 (2013).
10. F.F. Abdi, L. Han, A.H.M. Smets, M. Zeman, B. Dam, and R. van de Krol: Efficient solar water splitting by enhanced charge separation in a bismuth vanadate-silicon tandem photoelectrode. Nat. Commun. 4, 2195 (2013).
11. Y. Lin, C. Battaglia, M. Boccard, M. Hettick, Z. Yu, C. Ballif, J.W. Ager, and A. Javey: Amorphous Si thin film based photocathodes with high photovoltage for efficient hydrogen production. Nano Lett. 13(11), 5615-5618 (2013).
12. L. Han, F.F. Abdi, P. Perez Rodriguez, B. Dam, R. van de Krol, M. Zeman, and A.H.M. Smets: Optimization of amorphous silicon double junction solar cells for an efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting device based on a bismuth vanadate photoanode. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 16, 4220-4229 (2014).
13. S.Y. Reece, J.A. Hamel, K. Sung, T.D. Jarvi, A.J. Esswein, J.J.H. Pijpers, and D.G. Nocera: Wireless solar water splitting using silicon-based semiconductors and earth-abundant catalysts. Science 334, 645-648 (2003).
14. R.E. Rocheleau, E.L. Miller, and A. Misra: High-efficiency photoelectrochemical hydrogen production using multijunction amorphous silicon photoelectrodes. Energy Fuels 12(1), 3-10 (1998).
15. W. Calvet, E. Murugasen, J. Klett, B. Kaiser, W. Jaegermann, F. Finger, S. Hoch, M. Blug, and J. Busse: Silicon based tandem cells: Novel photocathodes for hydrogen production. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 16, 12043-12050 (2014).
16. A. Shah: Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells, Photovoltaics and Large-area Electronics (Crc Pr Inc., Lausanne, Switzerland, 2008).
17. H. Keppner, J. Meier, P. Torres, D. Fischer, and A. Shah: Microcrystalline silicon and micromorph tandem solar cells. J. Appl. Phys. A69, 169 (1999).
18. S. Klein, F. Finger, R. Carius, T. Dylla, B. Rech, M. Grimm, L. Houben, and M. Stutzmann: Intrinsic microcrystalline silicon prepared by hot-wire chemical vapour deposition for thin film solar cells. Thin Solid Films 430(1-2), 202-207 (2003).
19. W. Böttler, V. Smirnov, J. Hüpkes, and F. Finger: Texture-etched ZnO as a versatile base for optical back reflectors with well-designed surface morphologies for application in thin film solar cells. Phys. Status Solidi A 209(6), 1144-1149 (2012).
20. F. Urbain, K. Wilken, V. Smirnov, O. Astakhov, A. Lambertz, J-P. Becker, U. Rau, J. Ziegler, B. Kaiser, W. Jaegermann, and F. Finger: Development of thin film amorphous silicon tandem junction based photocathodes providing high open-circuit voltages for hydrogen production. Int. J. Photoenergy 2014, 249317 (2014).
21. L. Houben, M. Luysberg, P. Hapke, R. Carius, F. Finger, and H. Wagner: Structural properties of microcrystalline silicon in the transition from highly crystalline to amorphous growth. Philos. Mag. A 77(6), 1447 (1998).
22. F. Köhler, S. Schicho, B. Wolfrum, A. Gordijn, S.E. Pust, and R. Carius: Gradient etching of silicon-based thin films for depth-resolved measurements: The example of Raman crystallinity. Thin Solid Films 520(7), 2605-2608 (2012).
23. V. Smirnov, C. Das, T. Melle, A. Lambertz, M. Hülsbeck, R. Carius, and F. Finger: Improved homogeneity of microcrystalline absorber layer in thin-film silicon tandem solar cells. Mater. Sci. Eng., B 159-160, 44-47 (2009).
24. A. Lambertz, V. Smirnov, T. Merdzhanova, K. Ding, S. Haas, G. Jost, R.E.I. Schropp, F. Finger, and U. Rau: Microcrystalline silicon-oxygen alloys for application in silicon solar cells and modules. Sol. Energy Mat. Sol. Cells 119, 134-143 (2013).
25. H. Gary: Photoelectrochemical cell measurements: Getting the basics right. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 3(9), 1208-1213 (2012).
26. O. Vetterl, F. Finger, R. Carius, P. Hapke, L. Houben, O. Kluth, A. Lambertz, A. Mück, B. Rech, and H. Wagner: Intrinsic microcrystalline silicon: A new material for photovoltaics. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 62(1-2), 97-108 (2000).
27. C. Droz, E. Vallat-Sauvain, J. Bailat, L. Feitknecht, J. Meier, and A. Shah: Relationship between Raman crystallinity and open-circuit voltage in microcrystalline silicon solar cells. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 81 (1), 61-71 (2004).
28. S. Reynolds, R. Carius, F. Finger, and V. Smirnov: Correlation of structural and optoelectronic properties of thin film silicon prepared at the transition from microcrystalline to amorphous growth. Thin Solid Films 517, 6392 (2009).
29. M.N. van den Donker, S. Klein, B. Rech, and F. Finger: Microcrystalline silicon solar cells with an open-circuit voltage above 600 mV. Appl. Phys. Lett. 90(18), 183504 (2007).
30. Y. Mai, S. Klein, R. Carius, J. Wolff, A. Lambertz, and F. Finger: Open circuit voltage improvement of high-deposition-rate micro-crystalline silicon solar cells by hot wire interface layers. J. Appl. Phys. 87(7), 114913 (2005).
31. G. Bugnon, G. Parascandolo, S. Hänni, M. Stuckelberger, M. Charrière, M. Despeisse, F. Meillaud, and C. Ballif: Silicon oxide buffer layer at the p-i interface in amorphous and microcrystalline silicon solar cells. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 120, 143-150 (2014).
32. B.E. Pieters, H. Stiebig, M. Zeman, and R.A.C.M.M. van Swaaij: Determination of the mobility gap of intrinsic lc-Si:H in p-i-n solar cells. J. Appl. Phys. 105, 044502 (2009).
33. T. Brammer and H. Stiebig: Applying analytical and numerical methods for the analysis of microcrystalline silicon solar cells. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 90(18-19), 3021-3030 (2006).
34. E. Centurioni, D. Iencinella, R. Rizzoli, and F. Zignani: Silicon heterojunction solar cell: A new buffer layer concept with low-temperature epitaxial silicon. IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 51(11), 1818-1824 (2004).
35. M. Lu, S. Bowden, U. Das, and R. Birkmire: Interdigitated back contact silicon heterojunction solar cell and the effect of front surface passivation. Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 063507 (2007).
36. T. Repmann, B. Sehrbrock, C. Zahren, H. Siekmann, J. Müller, B. Rech, W. Psyk, R. Geyer, and P. Lechner: Thin film solar modules based on amorphous and microcrystalline silicon. Proceedings of Third World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, Osaka, Japan, 2003, pp. 1574-1579.
37. R. van de Krol and M. Grätzel: Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production (Springer, New York, 2012).
38. C. Levy-Clement, A. Heller, W.A. Bonner, and B.A. Parkinson: Spontaneous photoelectrolysis of HBr and HI. J. Electrochem. Soc. 129(8), 1701-1708 (1982).