Production of thin-layer silicon alloys and their application in solar-hydrogen energy

Summary: Exactly 50 years have passed since the beginning of the active phase of hydrogen energy (since 1974). The start of hydrogen energy in the 20th century was given by the efforts of the Patriarch of hydrogen energy, Professor T. N. Veziroglu. In the early works of Professor T.N. Veziroglu, the direction of solar-hydrogen energy already appears as the cleanest energy for improving the quality of life on the planet. The development of solar energy is carried out fantastically quickly. In 2023, 428 GW of solar energy were added, which is 76% more than the same period last year, as a result of which the total installed solar capacity worldwide reached 1.6 TW. An important direction of the solar-hydrogen system is the work to increase the efficiency of solar photovoltaic panels. In this work, various parameters of films of amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon-carbon alloy (a-nc-Si1-xCx:H (x = 0–1)) doped with phosphorus (PH3) and boron (B2H6) are investigated. The properties of these films obtained on various substrates of quartz, glass and silicon with a coating of Fe, Al, Pd, Ni, Ti, Ag, are studied. The morphology of the obtained nanotubes is studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The structural properties of the films are also studied using infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Cascade solar cells with an area of S = 1.0 cm2 and an efficiency of 14.09% are created. Solar photocells made of amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon-carbon alloy currently have the highest warranty resource - up to 35 years. This allows for long-term investments in the use of land that has a low cost with high benefit. At the same time, a good basis is created for the intensive development of solar-hydrogen energy.