Polarized electroabsorption spectra and light soaking of solar cells based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon

We present grazing-incidence measurements of polarized electroabsorption spectra in p-i-n solar cells based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). We find a significantly stronger polarization dependence in the present measurements compared with earlier work based on electroabsorption detected using coplanar electrodes on a-Si:H thin films. We do not find any significant dependence of the polarized electroabsorption upon light soaking, although this effect was found in previous work with coplanar electrodes. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.