As the name suggests, it is a silica and hydrogen alloy having an internal atomic structure that is disordered and noncrystalline that may be coated in thin film layers using a variety of deposition techniques to create thin-film solar cells on glass, metal, or plastic materials. Now that you know what is amorphous silicon, let’s also see how it’s made.
How is Amorphous Silicon Made?
The amorphous silicon cells are made by depositing the silicon directly on a cheaper substrate (plastic, glass, etc). The deposition is done on large surfaces. Additionally, its high energy consumption during the production cycle makes the energy time lesser than a year.
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Where are Amorphous Silicon Alloy Films Used?
Amorphous silicon alloy films are important as the active layers in thin-film photovoltaic cells, linear image sensors (optical scanners), two-dimensional optical position detectors, and thin-film transistors used in liquid crystal display panels. Additionally, they are also used in planar optical waveguides and antireflection coatings. Amorphous materials are also used in medical X-ray imaging detectors and xerography. These were some common applications of the said silicon alloy films.