This paper considers the intrinsic layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells. The deposition temperatures (T-d) and electrode distances (between cathode and anode, E/S) are important factors for a-Si:H solar cells. Thus, this study examines the effects of deposition temperatures and electrode distances in the intrinsic layer of a-Si:H solar cells with regard to enhanced the short-circuit current density (J(sc)) and thereby conversion efficiency. It is shown that the J(sc) of a-Si:H solar cells can be increased by proper choice of T-d and E/S of the i-a-Si:H layers. The J(sc) of the a-Si:H solar cells is largely dependent on light absorption of the i-a-Si:H layer. It is demonstrated that the absorption coefficient in an i-a-Si:H layer can be increased to provide higher J(sc) under fixed thickness. Results show that the optimized parameters improve the J(sc) of a-Si:H solar cells to 16.52 mA/cm(2), yielding an initial conversion efficiency of 10.86%. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.