What is the advantage of using amorphous silicon as the material for solar cell when compared with polycrystalline silicon?

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The question asks about the advantage of using amorphous silicon as the solar cell material compared to polycrystalline silicon.
Option 1: 'It can be formed at lower temperature' — This is the key practical advantage. Amorphous silicon can be deposited at much lower temperatures and on flexible or large-area substrates, enabling cheaper manufacturing and flexible photovoltaic applications. This lower-temperature process is a distinguishing feature that supports roll-to-roll coating and lower-cost production.
Option 2: 'It is more efficient in converting light energy to electrical energy' — Generally, amorphous silicon has lower conversion efficiency than polycrystalline silicon due to poorer electrical properties and higher defect densities. While it can perform well in low light or flexible contexts, efficiency is not its strongest advantage compared with crystalline silicon.
Option 3: 'It is more stable' — Amorphous silicon tends to degrade over time under light exposure (the Staebler–Wronski effect), leading to a reduction in efficiency with light exposure. This makes stability worse, not better, than crystalline forms, so this is not an advantage.
Option 4: 'It has lower internal resistance' — The resistive properties of amorphous silicon are not inherently superior; in fact, device characteristics often involve higher series resistance and recombination losses compared with crystalline silicon, so this is not a correct advantage.
In sum, the standout practical benefit of amorphous silicon relative to polycrystalline silicon is its ability to be formed at lower temperatures, enabling lower-cost, flexible, and large-area manufacturing.

EESM5200 (L2) Part I: Topic 9 - Optical Properties of PN Junction

What is the advantage of using amorphous silicon as the material for solar cell when compared with polycrystalline silicon?

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