A structural study of several amorphous Si (a-Si:H) films, deposited by rf-PECVD from a silane–Ar mixture, revealed that a 90% Ar diluted sample had the lowest defect density. This sample was further compared with a-Si:H layer deposited from undiluted silane by using each of them as the intrinsic (i) layer in p–i–n solar cells. The output characteristics of these devices were studied experimentally and theoretically. These studies demonstrated that the improvement in the stabilized output characteristics of the cell with Ar diluted i-layer resulted from a structural improvement in the a-Si:H layer, as well as a reduction in the p/i interface defects.

Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Films with Low Defect Density Prepared by Argon Dilution - Application to Solar Cells. P.P.Ray, P.Chaudhuri, P.Chatterjee: Thin Solid Films, 2002, 403-404, 275-9