Amorphous and microcrystalline silicon-based photovoltaic

The last two decades have witnessed tremendous progress in the science and technology of amorphous and microcrystaltine silicon-based photovoltaic. Advances in the understanding of materials and devices have led manufacturers to expand their production capacity; the production of solar panels based on this technology exceeded 25 MW in 2003. Hydrogen dilution in the active gas mixture during deposition has played a key role in improving the quality of the materials and the performance of the devices. In this paper I shall review the properties of the optimum material for device application, and discuss the production status. I shall also report on the new opportunities that are opening up for these products for space and stratospheric applications.