High-Efficiency Solar Cells Fabricated from Direct-Current Magnetron Sputtered n-Indium Tin Oxide onto p-InP Grown by Atmospheric Pressure Metalorganic Vapor Phase Epitaxy

Solar cells based on dc magnetron sputtered indium tin oxide onto epitaxially grown films of p-InP have been fabricated and analyzed. The best cells had a global efficiency of 18.4% and an air mass zero (AMO) efficiency of 16.0%. The principal fabrication variable considered was the constituency of the sputtering gas and both argon/hydrogen and argon/oxygen mixtures have been used. The former cells have the higher efficiencies, are apparently stable, and exhibit almost ideal junction characteristics. The latter cells are relatively unstable and exhibit much higher ideality factors and reverse saturation current densities. The temperature dependence of the reverse saturation current indicates totally different charge transfer mechanisms in the two cases.