Abstract
THERE is a need for alternative energy sources. Photovoltaics are an attractive possibility, but their application has been limited by economic considerations in single-crystal materials, and for physical reasons such as grain boundaries in poly-crystalline materials. Amorphous semiconductors are especially attractive in this regard because they are basically much less expensive than their crystalline counterparts and because they possess a direct band gap with a high value for the optical absorption coefficient. We report here the development of a new alloy that eliminates the physical problems associated with the silicon-hydrogen alloys.
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OVSHINSKY, S., MADAN, A. A new amorphous silicon-based alloy for electronic applications. Nature 276, 482–484 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/276482b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/276482b0
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