PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS OF POLYCRYSTALLINE THIN-FILM PHOTOELECTRIC DEVICES

The paper concentrates on the impact of the polycrystalline structure of the semiconductor (in the intermediate grain size region) upon its electronic, optical and photoelectric properties. Special attention is focused on the microscopic imperfections and phenomena (the grain boundary structure, segregation and diffusion phenomena of impurities and dopant species at grain boundaries) and on the macroscopic effects (optical losses by scattering and light absorption caused by material imperfections, and transport mechanism of current carriers through and their recombination at the grain boundaries). Finally, the impact of the microscopic imperfections upon the performance of photoelectric devices is discussed. © 1990.