scholarly journals Enhanced Performance of Nanotextured Silicon Solar Cells with Excellent Light-Trapping Properties

Photonics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
Bingfei Dou ◽  
Rui Jia ◽  
Zhao Xing ◽  
Xiaojiang Yao ◽  
Dongping Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Surface Recombination ◽  
Atomic Layer ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Surface Recombination Velocity ◽  
Electrode Contact ◽  
Recombination Velocity

Light-trapping nanostructures have been widely used for improving solar cells’ performance, but the higher surface recombination and poor electrode contact introduced need to be addressed. In this work, silicon nanostructures were synthesized via silver-catalyzed etching to texturize solar cells. Atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3 passivated the nanotextured cells. A surface recombination velocity of 126 cm/s was obtained, much lower than the 228 cm/s of the SiNX-passivated one. Additionally, the open-circuit voltage (VOC) of the nanotextured cells improved significantly from 582 to 610 mV, as did the short-circuit current (JSC) from 25.5 to 31 mA/cm2. Furthermore, the electrode contact property was enhanced by light-induced plating. A best efficiency of 13.3% for nano-textured cells was obtained, which is higher than the planar cell’s 12%.

The Effect of Al-BSF on Seff and Rb in Industrialized Mono-Silicon Solar Cells

2012 ◽  
Vol 472-475 ◽  
pp. 1846-1850
Author(s):  
Shan Shan Dai ◽  
Gao Jie Zhang ◽  
Xiang Dong Luo ◽  
Jing Xiao Wang ◽  
Wen Jun Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Spectral Response ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Rear Surface ◽  
Surface Recombination ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Surface Recombination Velocity ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Back Surface

In this work, the effect of aluminum back surface field formed by screen printed various amount of Al paste on the effective rear surface recombination velocity (Seff) and the internal rear reflectance coeffeicient (Rb) of commercial mono-silicon solar cells was investigated. We demonstrated the effect of Seffand Rbon the performance of Al-BSF solar cells by simulating them with PC1D. The simulated results showed that the lower Seffcould get higher open circuit voltage (Voc), at the same time, the larger Rbcould get higher short-circuit current (Isc). Experimentally, we investigated the Seffand Rbthrough depositing Al paste with various amount (3.7, 5, 6, and 8 mg/cm2) for fabricating Al-BSF mono-silicon solar cells. Four group cells were characterized by light I-V, spectral response, hemispherical reflectance and scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements. It was found that, a minimum Seffof 350 cm/s was gotten from the cells with Al paste of 8 mg/cm2, which was extracted by matching quantum efficiency (QE) from 800 nm to 1200 nm with PC1D, and a maximum Rbof 53.5% was obtained from Al paste of 5 mg/cm2by calculating at 1105 nm with PC1D. When the amount of Al paste was higher than 5mg/cm2, there were less Seffand lower Rb. On the other hand, when Al amount was 3.7mg/cm2, it was too little to form a closed BSF. Based on the SEM graphs and simulations with PC1D, a simple explaination was proposed for the experimental results.

Influence of Surface Recombination on the Performance of SiNW Solar Cells and the Preparation of a Passivation Film

2013 ◽  
Vol 1512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinya Kato ◽  
Yuya Watanabe ◽  
Yasuyoshi Kurokawa ◽  
Akira Yamada ◽  
Yoshimi Ohta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Silicon Nanowire ◽  
Surface Recombination ◽  
Device Simulation ◽  
Minority Carrier Lifetime ◽  
Atomic Layer ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Surface Recombination Velocity ◽  
Passivation Film ◽  
Recombination Velocity

ABSTRACTAl2O3 was deposited on silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays by atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a passivation layer to reduce surface recombination velocity. As a result, effective minority carrier lifetime was improved from 1.82 to 26.2 μs. From this result, the relative low-surface recombination rate of 2.73 cm/s was obtained from a calculation using one-dimensional device simulation (PC1D). The performance of SiNW solar cells was also simulated by considering the surface recombination velocity on the side of SiNWs using two-dimensional device simulation. It was found that Al2O3 deposited by ALD can improve open-circuit voltage of SiNW solar cells even if the structure has a high-aspect ratio and large surface area. Therefore, improvement in the performance of SiNW solar cells can be expected.

scholarly journals Numerical Simulation Analysis of Ag Crystallite Effects on Interface of Front Metal and Silicon in the PERC Solar Cell

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 592
Author(s):  
Myeong Sang Jeong ◽  
Yonghwan Lee ◽  
Ka-Hyun Kim ◽  
Sungjin Choi ◽  
Min Gu Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Open Circuit Voltage ◽  
Surface Recombination ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Surface Recombination Velocity ◽  
Metal Interface ◽  
Ag Crystallites ◽  
Recombination Velocity

In the fabrication of crystalline silicon solar cells, the contact properties between the front metal electrode and silicon are one of the most important parameters for achieving high-efficiency, as it is an integral element in the formation of solar cell electrodes. This entails an increase in the surface recombination velocity and a drop in the open-circuit voltage of the solar cell; hence, controlling the recombination velocity at the metal-silicon interface becomes a critical factor in the process. In this study, the distribution of Ag crystallites formed on the silicon-metal interface, the surface recombination velocity in the silicon-metal interface and the resulting changes in the performance of the Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact (PERC) solar cells were analyzed by controlling the firing temperature. The Ag crystallite distribution gradually increased corresponding to a firing temperature increase from 850 ∘C to 950 ∘C. The surface recombination velocity at the silicon-metal interface increased from 353 to 599 cm/s and the open-circuit voltage of the PERC solar cell decreased from 659.7 to 647 mV. Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) simulation was used for detailed analysis on the effect of the surface recombination velocity at the silicon-metal interface on the PERC solar cell performance. Simulations showed that the increase in the distribution of Ag crystallites and surface recombination velocity at the silicon-metal interface played an important role in the decrease of open-circuit voltage of the PERC solar cell at temperatures of 850–900 ∘C, whereas the damage caused by the emitter over fire was determined as the main cause of the voltage drop at 950 ∘C. These results are expected to serve as a steppingstone for further research on improvement in the silicon-metal interface properties of silicon-based solar cells and investigation on high-efficiency solar cells.

Effect of Interface States on the Properties of a-Si:H/c-Si Heterojunction Solar Cells Based on Solar Materials

2012 ◽  
Vol 164 ◽  
pp. 158-161
Author(s):  
Chun Liang Zhong ◽  
L.E. Luo ◽  
Y.Q. Xia
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Interface States ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Hole Transport ◽  
Heterojunction Solar Cells ◽  
Interface Recombination Velocity ◽  
Recombination Velocity

The effect of the interface states on the properties of (p+) a-Si:H/(n) c-Si heterojunction solar cells is studied by a set of simulations. The results show that there is almost no effect on the short-circuit current. At very low interface states, there is almost no effect on the open-circuit voltage VOC and the fill factor FF, and then the conversion efficiency. Although, at high interface states, VOC decreases due to the decrease of the excess minority carrier density at the c-Si neutral region and the increase of the effective interface recombination velocity at the heterojucntion interface, which also results in the decrease of FF. In particular, at very high interface states, the hole transport is limited by the interface potential barrier, which results in S-shaped J–V characteristics and low fill factors. As a result, the conversion efficiency decreases with interface states increasing at high interface states.

Can Illuminated IV-Characteristics of Micro-Regions in Solar Cells be Measured by Laser-Induced Stimulation?

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Boostandoost ◽  
A. Glowacki ◽  
O. Bakaeva ◽  
U. Kerst ◽  
C. Boit
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Laser Wavelength ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Infrared Light ◽  
Boundary States ◽  
Entire Cell

Abstract In this paper, IR-LBIC (Infrared Light Beam Induced Current) is applied using the laser wavelength of 1064 nm in order to analyze polycrystalline thin-film solar cells. The spatially high-resolved map of the short circuit current (~3 µm) has been obtained by performing the IR-LBIC measurement. The results of the measurement showed higher signal response from the grain boundary compared to that from the grain interior. This difference has been explained by the light trapping effect due to the trench-shaped grain boundary profile, which is possibly accompanied by two stage excitation effects via electronic grain boundary states. It has been additionally investigated, whether LBIC measurement could be used to extract local illuminated cell characteristics. However, since the dark current, which has a decisive influence on the solar cell characteristic, is flowing in the entire cell area, this is not possible. A circuit network simulation demonstrates that LBIC cannot be used for extraction of the local open circuit voltage, and the short circuit current is the only parameter that can be locally defined and therefore clearly observed.

Ge Solar Cells with Micro-Rod Arrays: Structural and Optical Properties

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 4347-4352
Author(s):  
Yeojun Yun ◽  
Kangho Kim ◽  
Jaejin Lee
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Collection Efficiency ◽  
Light Trapping ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Surface Recombination ◽  
Chemical Vapor ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Short Circuit Current Density ◽  
Atomic Diffusion

Ge single-junction solar cell structures are grown on micro-patterned Ge substrates using lowpressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. 300 nm high micro-rod arrays are formed on the p-Ge substrates using photolithography and dry etching techniques. The micro-rod arrays are designed with rod diameter varying from 5 to 15 μm and arranged in a hexagonal geometry with rod spacing varying from 2 to 12 μm. Ge p–n junction structures are fabricated by phosphorus atomic diffusion process on the micro-patterned Ge substrates. 100 nm thick InGaP window and 300 nm thick GaAs cap layers are grown to reduce the surface recombination and the ohmic contact resistivity, respectively. Our results indicate that the micro-rod structures improve the performance of the Ge solar cells. An improvement of 16.1% in the photocurrent of the Ge micro-rod solar cell is observed compared to that of a reference Ge solar cell with planar surface. The improvement in the short circuit current density can be attributed to the light trapping effect, enlarged p–n junction area, and enhanced carrier collection efficiency. As a result, the conversion efficiency of the Ge solar cell with micro-rod arrays (5 μm diameter, 2 μm spacing, and 300 nm height) is improved from 3.84 to 4.78% under 1 sun AM 1.5G conditions.

scholarly journals Simulation and characterization of planar high-efficiency back contact silicon solar cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-327
Author(s):  
A.V. Sachenko ◽  
◽  
V.P. Kostylyov ◽  
R.M. Korkishko ◽  
V.M. Vlasiuk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Surface Recombination ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Back Contact ◽  
Planar Surfaces ◽  
High Efficiency Solar Cells

Short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, and photoconversion efficiency of silicon high-efficiency solar cells with all back contact (BCSC) with planar surfaces have been calculated theoretically. In addition to the recombination channels usually considered in this kind of modeling, namely, radiative, Auger, Shockley–Read–Hall, and surface recombination, the model also takes into account the nonradiative trap-assisted exciton Auger recombination and recombination in the space charge region. It is ascertained that these two recombination mechanisms are essential in BCSCs in the maximum power operation regime. The model results are in good agreement with the experimental results from the literature.

scholarly journals CdTe-Based Thin Film Solar Cells: Past, Present and Future

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1684
Author(s):  
Alessandro Romeo ◽  
Elisa Artegiani
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Short Circuit Current Density ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Solar Cell Efficiency ◽  
Cell Efficiency

CdTe is a very robust and chemically stable material and for this reason its related solar cell thin film photovoltaic technology is now the only thin film technology in the first 10 top producers in the world. CdTe has an optimum band gap for the Schockley-Queisser limit and could deliver very high efficiencies as single junction device of more than 32%, with an open circuit voltage of 1 V and a short circuit current density exceeding 30 mA/cm2. CdTe solar cells were introduced at the beginning of the 70s and they have been studied and implemented particularly in the last 30 years. The strong improvement in efficiency in the last 5 years was obtained by a new redesign of the CdTe solar cell device reaching a single solar cell efficiency of 22.1% and a module efficiency of 19%. In this paper we describe the fabrication process following the history of the solar cell as it was developed in the early years up to the latest development and changes. Moreover the paper also presents future possible alternative absorbers and discusses the only apparently controversial environmental impacts of this fantastic technology.

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