Properties and photovoltaic applications of microcrystalline silicon films prepared by rf reactive sputtering

Undoped, phosphorus-, and boron-doped microcrystalline silicon films were prepared by rf reactive sputtering, and their properties were investigated through structural, optical, and transport measurements. The merits of microcrystalline films for the p and n contacts in photovoltaic devices were demonstrated through the fabrication of single and tandem p-i-n solar-cell structures with best efficiencies between 5 and 6%.