Abstract
Silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells, as one of the most promising passivated contact solar cell technologies of the next generation, have the advantages of high conversion efficiency, high open-circuit voltage, low-temperature coefficient, and no potential-induced degradation. For the single-side rear-emitter SHJ solar cells, the n-type carrier selective layer, which serves as the light-incident side, plays a pivotal role in determining the performance of heterojunction devices. Consequently, a superior n-doped layer should exhibit high optical transmittance and minimal optical absorption, along with a substantial effective doping level to guarantee the formation of dark conductivity (σ(d)) and electron-transport capacity. In this work, we investigated the optical and electrical properties of different n-type monolayers and stacked gradient multilayers, including monolayer, bilayer, and trilayer Si-based thin films, acting as electron-transport layers (ETL) prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and studied the influences of these above layers on the performance of SHJ solar cells. The experimental results demonstrate that the ETL with an n-nc-Si:H/n-nc-SiOx:H/n(+)-nc-Si:H trilayer structure exhibits the potential to boost highly efficient solar cells. The bottom highly crystallized, lightly phosphorus-doped n-nc-Si:H film promotes rapid nucleation of the intermediate n-nc-SiOx:H film and thus reduces the thickness of the incubation layer, as well as improves the passivation contact. The n-nc-SiOx:H film in the middle layer provides excellent optical properties and reduces parasitic absorption, thereby increasing the short-circuit current density. Furthermore, the highly doped n(+)-nc-Si:H at the top offers an optimal ohmic contact with the reactive plasma deposition-grown TCO layer, which ultimately enhances the fill factor. Ultimately, a conversion efficiency of 20.41%, with an open-circuit voltage of 720 mV, a short-circuit current density of 39.34 mA/cm(2), and a filling factor of 72.05%, was achieved in the SHJ solar cell using a typical trilayer structure. This kind of trilayer structure has a particular significance for potential industrialized applications as it allows for efficient utilization of solar energy.