Toward high-efficiency solar cells using semiconducting silicide on glass substrate

Abstract

Semiconducting silicide BaSi₂ is an indirect band-gap semiconductor composed of earth-abundant elements with a forbidden bandwidth of approximately 1.3 eV. It has a large optical absorption coefficient equivalent to CuInS₂, and its conductivity type and carrier density can be controlled by impurity doping using group 13 and 15 elements. In this article, an approach to thin-film solar cells on glass substrates is introduced, utilizing the knowledge gained from epitaxial films on Si substrates.