Strategies for realizing high-efficiency silicon heterojunction solar cells

Zhao, Yifeng; Procel, Paul; Han, Can; Cao, Liqi; Yang, Guangtao; Özkol, Engin; Alcañiz, Alba; Kovačević, Katarina; Limodio, Gianluca; Santbergen, Rudi; Smets, Arno H. M.; Weeber, Arthur; Zeman, Miro; Mazzarella, Luana; Isabella, Olindo

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2023.112413

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 170 publications

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“…The final step in the solar cell production process involves the removal of any conductive layer from the wafer's edges to prevent electrical shorts. In terms of solar cell architectures, aluminum back surface field (Al-BSF) solar cells were predominant until 2013 [15]. This cell architecture is characterized by a p-type silicon (p-Si) base and an n-type emitter, and a thick aluminum layer at the back to create a (P+) back surface field [16].…”

Section: Pv Solar Industry and Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, the construction of new cell and module capacities has shifted from PERC to tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) and silicon heterojunction (SHJ) cells. These two structures are examples of solar cells with carrier-selective passivating contacts (CSPCs) and aim to address problems involving Auger recombination, free carrier absorption and bandgap narrowing, which are common to Al-BSF and PERC structures [15]. Polysilicon on oxide junction (POLO) is another notable example of such a CSPC architecture.…”

Section: Pv Solar Industry and Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Silicon Solar Cells: Trends, Manufacturing Challenges, and AI Perspectives

Di Sabatino,

Hendawi,

Garcia

2024

Crystals

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Photovoltaic (PV) installations have experienced significant growth in the past 20 years. During this period, the solar industry has witnessed technological advances, cost reductions, and increased awareness of renewable energy’s benefits. As more than 90% of the commercial solar cells in the market are made from silicon, in this work we will focus on silicon-based solar cells. As PV research is a very dynamic field, we believe that there is a need to present an overview of the status of silicon solar cell manufacturing (from feedstock production to ingot processing to solar cell fabrication), including recycling and the use of artificial intelligence. Therefore, this work introduces the silicon solar cell value chain with cost and sustainability aspects. It provides an overview of the main manufacturing techniques for silicon ingots, specifically Czochralski and directional solidification, with a focus on highlighting their key characteristics. We discuss the major challenges in silicon ingot production for solar applications, particularly optimizing production yield, reducing costs, and improving efficiency to meet the continued high demand for solar cells. We review solar cell technology developments in recent years and the new trends. We briefly discuss the recycling aspects, and finally, we present how digitalization and artificial intelligence can aid in solving some of the current PV industry challenges.

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Section: Pv Solar Industry and Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pv Solar Industry and Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicon Solar Cells: Trends, Manufacturing Challenges, and AI Perspectives

Di Sabatino,

Hendawi,

Garcia

2024

Crystals

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Downshifting Encapsulant: Optical Simulation Evaluation of the Solution to Ultraviolet‐Induced Degradation in Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Xu,

Bittkau,

Eberst

et al. 2024

Adv Energy and Sustain Res

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Ultraviolet (UV)‐induced degradation (UVID) poses a significant challenge for the prospective mass production of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells, known for their high efficiency. In this study, the magnified impact of UV radiation when employing a silicon carbide (SiC)‐based transparent passivating contact (TPC) on the front side of SHJ solar cells is reported. A reduction in open‐circuit voltage (VOC), short‐circuit current (JSC), and fill factor of 12%, 6%, and 11%, respectively, is observed after UV exposure. Conventional UVID mitigation measures, UV‐blocking encapsulation, are assessed through single‐cell TPC laminates, revealing an unavoidable tradeoff between current loss and UVID. Alternatively, the utilization of ultraviolet‐downshifting (UV‐DS) encapsulants is proposed to convert UV radiation into the visible light spectrum. An optical simulation method, conducted via OPAL2, is presented to evaluate UV‐DS encapsulants for diminishing UVID in SHJ solar cells with different front contacts. A simple methodology is proposed to mimic the optical property of UV‐DS encapsulants. In the simulation results, additional current gains of up to 0.33 mA cm−2 achievable with suitable UV‐DS encapsulants are highlighted. The factors related to the UV‐DS effects are evaluated and the optimization pathway for UV‐DS encapsulants is elucidated.

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Interdigitated‐back‐contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells featuring novel MoO_x‐based contact stacks

Kovačević,

Zhao,

Procel

et al. 2024

Progress in Photovoltaics

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The fabrication process of interdigitated‐back‐contacted silicon heterojunction (IBC‐SHJ) solar cells has been significantly simplified with the development of the so‐called tunnel‐IBC architecture. This architecture utilizes a highly conductive (p)‐type nanocrystalline silicon (nc‐Si:H) layer deposited over the full substrate area comprising pre‐patterned (n)‐type nc‐Si:H fingers. In this context, the (p)‐type nc‐Si:H layer is referred to as blanket layer. As both electrodes are connected to the same blanket layer, the high lateral conductivity of (p)nc‐Si:H layer can potentially lead to relatively low shunt resistance in the device, thus limiting the performance of such solar cells. To overcome such limitation, we introduce a thin (<2 nm) full‐area molybdenum oxide (MoOx) layer as an alternative to the (p)nc‐Si:H blanket layer. We demonstrate that the use of such a thin MoOx minimizes the shunting losses thanks to its low lateral conductivity while preserving the simplified fabrication process. In this process, a novel (n)‐type nc‐Si:H/MoOx electron collection contact stack is implemented within the proposed solar cell architecture. We assess its transport mechanisms via electrical simulations showing that electron transport, unlike in the case of tunnel‐IBC, occurs in the conduction band fully. Moreover, the proposed contact stack is evaluated in terms of contact resistivity and integrated into a proof‐of‐concept front/back‐contacted (FBC) SHJ solar cells. Contact resistivity as low as 100 mΩcm2 is achieved, and fabricated FBC‐SHJ solar cells obtain a fill factor above 81.5% and open‐circuit voltage above 705 mV. Lastly, the IBC‐SHJ solar cells featuring the MoOx blanket layer are fabricated, exhibiting efficiencies up to 21.14% with high shunt resistances above 150 kΩcm2. Further optimizations in terms of layer properties and fabrication process are proposed to improve device performance and realize the efficiency potential of our novel IBC‐SHJ solar cell architecture.

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Strategies for realizing high-efficiency silicon heterojunction solar cells

Cited by 12 publications

References 170 publications

Silicon Solar Cells: Trends, Manufacturing Challenges, and AI Perspectives

Silicon Solar Cells: Trends, Manufacturing Challenges, and AI Perspectives

Downshifting Encapsulant: Optical Simulation Evaluation of the Solution to Ultraviolet‐Induced Degradation in Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Interdigitated‐back‐contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells featuring novel MoO_x‐based contact stacks

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Strategies for realizing high-efficiency silicon heterojunction solar cells

Cited by 12 publications

References 170 publications

Silicon Solar Cells: Trends, Manufacturing Challenges, and AI Perspectives

Silicon Solar Cells: Trends, Manufacturing Challenges, and AI Perspectives

Downshifting Encapsulant: Optical Simulation Evaluation of the Solution to Ultraviolet‐Induced Degradation in Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Interdigitated‐back‐contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells featuring novel MoOx‐based contact stacks

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Product

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Interdigitated‐back‐contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells featuring novel MoO_x‐based contact stacks