Structure, photovoltaic properties, and angle-of-incidence correlations of electron-beam-deposited SnO2/n-Si solar cells

Abstract

The effects of the angle of incidence on the structural and photovoltaic properties of electron‐beam‐deposited SnO₂/n‐Si solar cells have been studied in detail. X‐ray diffraction analyses of SnO₂ films deposited on silicon indicate the presence of multiple phases of tin oxide. A correlation is observed between the angle of incidence and x‐ray diffraction pattern. The angular dependences of the short‐circuit photocurrent, open‐circuit photovoltage, fill factor, conductivity, and efficiency were similar. A model is proposed to explain the observed photovoltaic parameter versus angle of incidence results. In this model, the carrier ’’transmission’’ or tunneling probability across the interfacial SiO₂ layer is assumed to be a function of the crystallite orientation and phases of the tin oxide.