An investigation on determinants of silver paste metallization contact performance on crystalline silicon solar cells

Zhang, Jiefeng; Tong, Hua; Sun, Xinjie; Li, Guoqing; Li, Hui; Yang, Yunxia; Yuan, Xiao; Liu, Cui; Li, Hongbo

doi:10.1007/s10854-020-03145-9

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Based on manifold studies, the contact formation process and the properties of the metal-semiconductor interface of fire-through silver paste on n-type silicon emitters have been deeply investigated. Today, it is mostly accepted that several current paths contribute to the current flow between the silicon semiconductor and the printed and fired silver grid, 38,[184][185][186][187][188][189] namely, local direct contacts between silver bulk and the silicon surface, 16,145 silver crystallites formed on the silicon surface during the contact formation process, 36 and tunneling of charge carriers through glass layers enriched with dissolved silver and silver colloids [190][191][192][193][194][195] as shown in Figure 3. A further important finding discovered the crucial role of electrons during the firing process.…”

Section: Metal-semiconductor Contact and Metalinduced Recombinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Printing technologies for silicon solar cell metallization: A comprehensive review

Tepner

Lorenz

2023

Progress in Photovoltaics

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This paper presents a comprehensive overview on printing technologies for metallization of solar cells. Throughout the last 30 years, flatbed screen printing has established itself as the predominant metallization process for the mass production of silicon solar cells. For this reason, we will provide a detailed review on its history, its evolution over time, and how the continuous efforts of the scientific and industrial community for further improvements revolutionized the entire PV industry. Furthermore, we will guide the reader through the physics on silicon solar cell metallization, the fundamentals on contact formation, and what type of challenges and requirements these topics create for printing technologies. The main topic of this review addresses the flatbed screen-printing process mechanics, its different process sequences, corresponding screen technology, and the very important impact of paste rheology on the printing result. Finally, we will compare alternative upcoming printing approaches to flatbed screen printing and discuss how they might solve upcoming challenges in metallization in terms of increasing the throughput rates at an everdecreasing grid line width and reduced silver consumption.

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Section: Metal-semiconductor Contact and Metalinduced Recombinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Printing technologies for silicon solar cell metallization: A comprehensive review

Tepner

Lorenz

2023

Progress in Photovoltaics

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“…3 The glass etches the anti-reective coating and establishes ohmic contacts, inuencing the electrode's sintering process and electron conduction mechanism. [4][5][6] In other words, glass signicantly inuences interface contact resistance, a key contributor to energy loss in the electron transmission of c-Si solar cells.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of lead-free glass on the current transmission method at the Ag/Si interface in crystalline silicon solar cells

Sun,

Yu,

Quan

et al. 2024

RSC Adv.

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“…This implies that more silver pastes are needed to ensure efficient chargecarrier collection within the devices. [13][14][15][16][17] By 2050, the photovoltaic (PV) industry is projected to experience an astonishing surge in annual production capacity, reaching an impressive 3 TW. [18][19][20][21][22][23] This growth will inevitably result in a substantial increase in the demand for silver, potentially surpassing annual production capacity.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Electrical and Physical Contacts of Copper‐Electroplated Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells through Chemical Pretreated Seed Layers

Wang,

Du,

Xing

et al. 2024

Solar RRL

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Copper electroplating offering the potential to replace low‐temperature sintered silver pastes holds significant promise as a metallization process for silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells (SCs). To unlock the full potential of copper electroplating, it is crucial to enhance the contact properties between the electroplated grids and the indium tin oxide (ITO) films, addressing both contact resistivity and physical adhesion. In this study, we employ a zinc‐assisted Fe2+ system to modify the ITO film, leading to the formation of an In/Sn/SnO mixed‐metal transition layer. This transition layer serves as a seed layer for metal electroplating, reducing contact resistivity and enhancing the mechanical connection between the electroplated metals and the ITO films. Following the ITO pretreatment process, the contact resistivity is significantly reduced from 1.4 to 0.2 mΩ·cm2, and the peel force value of the pretreated sample reaches 14.2 N/mm, which is 75.3% higher than that of the untreated sample. The proof‐of‐concept SHJ SC with copper electroplating after ITO pretreatment achieves a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 22.6%. These results clearly demonstrate that ITO pretreatment using the zinc‐assisted Fe2+ system is an effective approach for enhancing contact properties and improving the performance of copper‐electroplated SHJ SCs, showcasing significant potential for industry applications.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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An investigation on determinants of silver paste metallization contact performance on crystalline silicon solar cells

Cited by 6 publications

References 35 publications

Printing technologies for silicon solar cell metallization: A comprehensive review

Printing technologies for silicon solar cell metallization: A comprehensive review

Effect of lead-free glass on the current transmission method at the Ag/Si interface in crystalline silicon solar cells

Enhancing Electrical and Physical Contacts of Copper‐Electroplated Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells through Chemical Pretreated Seed Layers

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