Advances in solar cells made with hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD): superior films and devices at low equipment cost

摘要

This paper reviews the history of hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) and discusses the unique silicon thin film materials that can be obtained with this deposition method. The structure of the silicon films can be widely varied form fully amorphous to completely polycrystalline. Moreover, the hydrogen content can be controlled over a wide range. A characteristic feature of HWCVD is the high deposition rate for all types of films. A 'HW' solar cell toolbox is presented and the first efficient a-Si/poly-Si multibandgap tandem cells have been made using developed component cells.