Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells With Copper-Plated Grid Electrodes: Status and Comparison With Silver Thick-Film Techniques

Geissbühler, Jonas; Wolf, Stefaan De; Faes, Antonin; Badel, Nicolas; Jeangros, Quentin; Tomasi, A.; Barraud, Loris; Descoeudres, Antoine; Despeisse, M.; Ballif, Christophe

doi:10.1109/jphotov.2014.2321663

Cited by 99 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In such a case, ρ c values on the order of 10 −5 Ω cm [2] are typical, as is the case of the ITO/Ag and a-IZO/Ag interfaces, commonly used in solar cells. [111,176] Electroplated Cu can offer advantages in terms of line resistivity and material cost compared with printed Ag electrodes. However, due to the ease of diffusing electroplated Cu into silicon, where it can act as a carrier lifetime killer, its application to photovoltaics is not evident.…”

Section: Progress Reportmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The low measuredρ c value for the Cu/ITO interface (ρ c < 10 −4 cm −3 ) validates this combination for high-efficiency silicon solar cells. [176] Contrary to the case of TCOs, achievement of sufficiently low ρ c between the metal and Ag NWs or graphene electrodes is still an unresolved challenge. [100] To extract or inject carriers efficiently in solar cells or OLEDs, respectively, the interface between the transparent electrode and the active layer of the device (absorber or emitter) should have a negligible contact resistance (ρ c ) as well.…”

Section: Progress Reportmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transparent Electrodes for Efficient Optoelectronics

Morales‐Masis

Wolf

Woods‐Robinson

et al. 2017

Adv Elect Materials

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363

288

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With the development of new generations of optoelectronic devices that combine high performance and novel functionalities (e.g., flexibility/bendability, adaptability, semi or full transparency), several classes of transparent electrodes have been developed in recent years. These range from optimized transparent conductive oxides (TCOs), which are historically the most commonly used transparent electrodes, to new electrodes made from nano‐ and 2D materials (e.g., metal nanowire networks and graphene), and to hybrid electrodes that integrate TCOs or dielectrics with nanowires, metal grids, or ultrathin metal films. Here, the most relevant transparent electrodes developed to date are introduced, their fundamental properties are described, and their materials are classified according to specific application requirements in high efficiency solar cells and flexible organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). This information serves as a guideline for selecting and developing appropriate transparent electrodes according to intended application requirements and functionality.

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Section: Progress Reportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Progress Reportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transparent Electrodes for Efficient Optoelectronics

Morales‐Masis

Wolf

Woods‐Robinson

et al. 2017

Adv Elect Materials

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363

288

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“…Additional efficiency improvements can be achieved by using interdigitated back contacted SHJ cells 23,33 or fine-line electroplated metallization; 34 improving the infrared light management 35 the transparency of the front side of the device [36][37][38][39] and implementing thinner a-Si:H passivation and doped layers on the front side of the device. SHJ cells fabricated in the same configuration as the ones used in this study (i.e.…”

Section: Technological Outlook and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar-to-Hydrogen Production at 14.2% Efficiency with Silicon Photovoltaics and Earth-Abundant Electrocatalysts

Schüttauf

Modestino

Chinello

et al. 2016

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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Affordable, stable and earth-abundant photo-electrochemical materials are indispensable for the large-scale implementation of sunlight-driven hydrogen production. Here we present an intrinsically stable and scalable solar water splitting device that is fully based on earth-abundant materials, with a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 14.2%. This unprecedented efficiency is achieved by integrating a module of three interconnected silicon heterojunction solar cells that operates at an appropriate voltage to directly power microstructured Ni electrocatalysts. Nearly identical performance levels were also achieved using a customized state-of-the-art proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer. The past decade has seen an increase in the urgency to substitute fossil fuels with clean and renewable energy sources. Among all of the renewable sources, solar irradiation is undeniably the most prominent option. The average accessible solar power accounts for over ∼120 000 TW globally; 1 several thousand times the current global energy needs.2 Photovoltaic cells can capture this vast energy resource and convert it into usable electrical energy at high efficiencies. Their implementation in the past years has seen a large growth driven by favorable environmental policies and a steady decrease in their production cost. Although the penetration of photovoltaics has been significant, some challenges for their integration into the electricity grid have started to become evident. Mainly, the intermittent nature of the solar electricity production prevents their large-scale grid implementation without compensation mechanisms that satisfy the demand during low-irradiation periods. Adding energy storage capacity to the grid could directly alleviate the fluctuations on power production. Electrochemical energy storage in batteries is already an interesting option for large-scale stationary energy storage. Electrochemical production of hydrogen from excess solar electricity is also an attractive option for storing solar energy in the form of a fuel which could be used at a later stage for electricity production back into the grid or transportation. 3,4 Furthermore, hydrogen can be stored for prolonged periods of time, so that solar resources are harvested during high irradiation periods and used throughout the year. Because of these multiple advantages, solar-to-fuel approaches have attracted a lot of interest in the renewable energy field and project themselves as a critical technology to achieve large-scale utilization of solar-energy sources. 5-7Despite the strong research interest on solar-hydrogen materials and technologies, there have only been a limited number of demonstrations of solar water splitting devices. Most of these devices show short lifetimes (<1 day), low efficiencies, or use materials and designs that would prevent their practical and economical implementation. 6,8 Deployable solar-hydrogen devices would need to function stably for years, produce robustly and continuously nearly pure H 2 streams, incorporate ...

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“…Meticulous efforts have been dedicated over the last few years toward the reduction of these parasitic losses, especially by thinning as much as possible the front a-Si:H layers [5] and reducing the metal-finger width using increasingly sophisticated metallization techniques [6]- [8]. To date, the best outcome for this approach is a short-circuit current density (J sc ) value of 40.0 mA/cm 2 , obtained by Kaneka, Japan, for an SHJ solar cell with copper-electroplated contacts [6].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Back-Contacted Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells: Optical-Loss Analysis and Mitigation

Paviet‐Salomon

Tomasi

Descoeudres

et al. 2015

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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Abstract-We analyze the optical losses that occur in interdigitated back-contacted amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells. We show that in our devices, the main loss mechanisms are similar to those of two-side contacted heterojunction solar cells. These include reflection and escape-light losses, as well as parasitic absorption in the front passivation layers and rear contact stacks. We then provide practical guidelines to mitigate such reflection and parasitic absorption losses at the front side of our solar cells, aiming at increasing the short-circuit current density in actual devices. Applying these rules, we processed a back-contacted silicon heterojunction solar cell featuring a short-circuit current density of 40.9 mA/cm 2 and a conversion efficiency of 22.0%. Finally, we show that further progress will require addressing the optical losses occurring at the rear electrodes of the back-contacted devices.

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Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells With Copper-Plated Grid Electrodes: Status and Comparison With Silver Thick-Film Techniques

Cited by 99 publications

References 22 publications

Transparent Electrodes for Efficient Optoelectronics

Transparent Electrodes for Efficient Optoelectronics

Solar-to-Hydrogen Production at 14.2% Efficiency with Silicon Photovoltaics and Earth-Abundant Electrocatalysts

Back-Contacted Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells: Optical-Loss Analysis and Mitigation

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