@article {6765,
	title = {Absorption enhancement in amorphous Si by introducing RF sputtered Tiintermediate layers for photovoltaic applications},
	journal = {Materials Science and Engineering: B},
	volume = {269},
	year = {2021},
	abstract = {
	In this paper, embedded amorphous-silicon (a-Si) and titanium (Ti) ultrathin-films forming a multilayer structure is proposed as a new efficient absorber material for thin-film solar cells (TFSCs). Promising design strategy based on combining\&nbsp;FDTD\&nbsp;(finite difference time domain) with particle swarm optimization (PSO) was adopted to identify the\&nbsp;a-Si/Ti\&nbsp;multilayer structure offering the highest total absorbance efficiency (TAE). It is found that the proposed multilayer structure can serve as an effective absorber, yielding superb\&nbsp;TAE\&nbsp;exceeding\&nbsp;80\%. The\&nbsp;a-Si/Ti\&nbsp;multilayer was then elaborated by successive growth of\&nbsp;a-Si\&nbsp;and\&nbsp;Ti\&nbsp;ultrathin layers using\&nbsp;RF\&nbsp;magnetron sputtering technique. The sputtered\&nbsp;a-Si/Ti\&nbsp;thin-film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM),\&nbsp;X-ray diffraction (XRD), and\&nbsp;UV{\textendash}visible absorption spectroscopy. Measurements showed a unique optical behavior, promoting broadband absorbance over the visible and even\&nbsp;NIR\&nbsp;spectrum ranges. In particular, the prepared\&nbsp;a-Si/Ti\&nbsp;absorber exhibits an optical band-gap of\&nbsp;1.36\&nbsp;eV, which is suitable for photovoltaic applications. A performance assessment of the elaborated absorber was investigated by extracting\&nbsp;I-V\&nbsp;characteristics and electrical parameters under dark and\&nbsp;1-sun\&nbsp;illumination. It is revealed that the proposed absorber demonstrates outstanding electrical and sensing performances. Therefore, promoting enhanced resistive behavior and light-scattering effects, this innovative concept of optimized\&nbsp;a-Si/Ti\&nbsp;multilayer provides a sound pathway for designing promising alternative absorbers for the future development of\&nbsp;a-Si-based\&nbsp;TFSCs.

},
	url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921510721001124},
	author = {Hichem Ferhati and Fay{\c c}al Djeffal and Boubiche, N and Benhaya, Abdelhamid and Faerber, J and Le Normand, F, and Javahiraly, N and Fix, T}
}
