Toward high-efficiency thin-film solar cells using semiconducting BaSi_2

摘要

In this article, we review the present status of research on semiconducting BaSi_2 toward Si-based crystalline thin-film solar cells. The epitaxial growth by molecular beam epitaxy, control of the type of conductivity and carrier concentration by impurity doping, photoresponse properties, formation of a heavily-doped tunneling junction at the BaSi_2/Si heterointerface, and demonstration of the solar cell operation on an n-BaSi_2/p~+-Si single heterojunction diode are shown.