Solar Photovoltaics: Principles, Technologies, and Materials
Week 7: Second-Generation Solar Cells
(Assignment 7 Solution)
1. The starting material in the manufacturing of semiconductor-grade silicon is:
a. Silicon vapor
b. Silicon tetrachloride
c. Silicon melt
d. Trichlorosilane
e. Siloxane
2. Which of the following can be used as window layer in GaAs solar cells?
a. n-GaAs
b. InGaAs
c. p-GaAs
d. AlGaAs
e. CdGaAs
3. Which of the following process(es) is/are used for manufacturing semiconductor-grade silicon?
a. Union carbide process
b. Float zone method
c. Siemens process
d. Czochralski process
e. Ethyl corporation process
4. Which of the following type of silicon exhibit the lowest carrier mobility?
a. Single crystal silicon
b. Polycrystalline silicon
c. Amorphous silicon
d. Both single crystal silicon and polycrystalline silicon
5. The intermixing between CdS and CdTe layer in CdTe solar cells leads to:
a. Increase in quantum efficiency at higher wavelengths
b. Increase in quantum efficiency at lower wavelengths
c. Decrease in quantum efficiency at lower wavelengths
d. Decrease in quantum efficiency at higher wavelengths
6. Which of the following is/are common impurity element(s) in metallurgical grade silicon?
a. Tin
b. Aluminium
c. Zinc
d. Calcium
e. Lanthanum
7. The POCl3 treatment in silicon solar cells is done to achieve:
a. Formation of good contact with metal electrode
b. n-type doping of emitter
c. p-type doping of emitter
d. Improved surface texturing
e. n-type of base
8. Which of the following is used as carrier in the spray deposition of CdTe films?
a. Hydrogen
b. Nitrogen
c. Polyethylene acetate
d. Propylene glycol
9. Which of the following belong(s) to the family of chalcogenides?
a. Cadmium sulfide
b. Gallium arsenide
c. Cadmium telluride
d. Amorphous silicon
e. Polycrystalline silicon
10. CdCl2 treatment in CdTe solar cells results in:
a. Larger grain size in CdTe films
b. Poor crystallinity of CdTe films
c. n-type character of CdTe
d. Reduced defect density in CdTe
e. Reduced radiative recombination
11. The surface recombination in GaAs solar cells can be reduced by:
a. Using p-AlGaAs as the window layer
b. Heavy doping of the emitter
c. Using n-AlGaAs as the back surface field layer
d. Using n-AlGaAs as the window layer
e. Antireflection coating ZnS/MgF2
12. Staebler-Wronski effect in hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells leads to:
a. Increase in the shunt resistance
b. Increase in the defect density
c. Increase in the power output with light soaking time
d. Decrease in the density of tail states
e. Decrease in the power output with light soaking time
13. The p-type character of CdTe can be increased by:
a. Cd interstitials
b. In doping
c. Au doping
d. Te vacancies
e. Cd Vacancies
14. Which of the following is/are correct for CdTe solar cells in superstrate configuration?
a. p-type CdTe is the absorber layer
b. n-type CdS is the absorber layer
c. p-type CdTe is the window layer
d. CdS layer is much thicker than the CdTe layer
e. n-type CdS is the window layer
15. The strategy(ies) employed to improve the performance of CdTe solar cells is/are:
a. Heavy n-type doping of window layer
b. CdS treatment
c. Back contact of copper
d. Heavy n-type doping of absorber layer
