Hump-shaped internal collection efficiency of degraded a-Si:H p-i-n solar cells

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Measured internal collection efficiency (ICE) characteristics of annealed and degraded a-Si:H p-i-n solar cells were used for an analysis of their internal behavior. Using the numerical simulator ASPIN, simulations were performed in order to fit and explain pronounced hump-shaped voltage-dependent ICE characteristics of degraded structures under weak short-wavelength illumination. Agreement with measured ICE characteristics for a degraded cell was obtained only if in addition to the introduction of light-induced dangling bond defect states, their capture cross sections were also increased, in particular the capture cross section for the charged defect states were increased. This caused a change in the occupancy of defect states at the p-i interface and front part of the i layer under forward biases. Consequently, the electric field in the front part of the cell was sustained under higher forward biases, resulting in recovery of the ICE.