SnO₂ buffer layer deposition for thin film solar cells with superstrate configuration

The most commonly used commercial conducting glass is the coated SnO₂:F glass substrate. However, it usually presents poor morphological properties and therefore is not adequate for solar cell applications. In this work, we report results about the morphological properties improvement of commercial conductive glass by the deposition of a SnO₂ buffer layer by spray pyrolysis technique. The use of a high resistivity transparent layer (buffer) onto low resistivity transparent oxide has been found to improve the solar cell performance. The methodology for improving film morphology through the deposition of SnO₂ buffer layers by spray pyrolysis technique, with appropriate electro-optical properties, is presented. The solar cell results related to the use of an automatized spray pyrolysis system are presented.