背面多孔硅对SIMOX中铜杂质的吸除作用

在SIMOX材料的背面成功地制备了多孔硅层,再在正面故意注入1×1015cm-2剂量的铜杂质。经900℃退火,二次离子质谱（SIMS）测试表明钢杂质能穿过理层SiO2并在背面多孔硅处富集。用剖面投射电子显微镜（XTEM）分析了埋层SiO2和背面多孔硅层的微观结构,背面多孔硅层及其多孔硅层同硅衬底之间“树技状”的过渡区被认为是铜杂质有效的吸除中心。     

铝浆在晶体硅太阳电池上的应用讨论

主要介绍了铝浆作为晶体硅太阳电池的背电场,在烧结使用的过程中常常出现的问题,探讨了背场形成过程中铝珠、铝包的成因及解决方案,分析了背场附着力的影响因素,并对影响电池片弯曲度的因素作了说明.     

Epitaxial solar cells on titanium-doped silicon substrates

Single crystal substrates (0.2 Ω cm, boron doped) purposely doped at 2 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻³ with titanium were used to assess the effect of titanium on solar cell performance. Comparisons were made of all-epitaxial, diffused junction epitaxial, and all diffused junction solar cells fabricated on these substrates. In all cases lower than normal short-circuit current densities were obtained due to diminished red response. However, the short-circuit currents and efficiencies for the epitaxial cells were higher than those for the cells made by direct diffusion into the bulk titanium-doped silicon. The highest efficiency obtained for an epitaxial cell on a titanium-doped substrate was 11.7%. The research reported herein was supported by Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under contract No. 954817 and RCA Laboratories, David Sarnoff Research Center, Princeton, New Jersey.     

晶体硅太阳电池扩散气氛场均匀性研究

为降低晶体硅太阳电池的制造成本,从扩散气氛场角度提出实验方法,优化扩散工艺均匀性。该研究方法可改善太阳电池电性能并对产业化生产起指导作用。     

Simple analytical model and efficiency improvement of polysilicon solar cells with porous silicon at the backside

The present study developed a simple analytical model to simulate the performance of polysilicon solar cells with porous silicon (PS) layer at the backside. It analytically solved the complete set of equations necessary for the determination of the photocurrent generated under the effect of the reflected light. It also investigated the contribution of the light absorbed by the PS layer and explored the effect that the latter’s number of double porosities and high porosity have had on photovoltaic parameters. The findings suggest that the photovoltaic parameters increase with the number of double porosities that the layer might have in a given structure. When the PS layer is formed by three-double porosity layers 20%/80% and for a 5 μm-thick film c-Si, the backside reflector gives a total improvement of about 2.65 mA/cm² in photocurrent density and 1.4% in cell efficiency. This improvement can even be of much more important for well passivated grain boundaries and back contact of solar cells.     

Broadband triple-layer SiOx/SiOxNy/SiNx antireflective coatings in textured crystalline silicon solar cells

The purpose of this study is to reduce textured crystalline silicon (TCS) substrate surface-reflectivity over a wide spectral range (300–1100 nm), to improve the step coverage of the textured structure, and to shift the minimal value of reflection from the unabsorbed region to the absorbed region. The TCS solar-cell interface between air and silicon was added to a SiO_x/SiO_xN_y/SiN_x triple-layer anti-reflective coatings (TLARCs) structure using the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) growth method. This paper presents theoretical and practical discussions, as well as the experimental results of fabricating the films and devices. The average reflection of the SiO_x/SiO_xN_y/SiN_x TLARs reduced to 2.01% (300–1100 nm). The minimal value of reflection was shifted from 1370 nm (unabsorbed region) to 968 nm (absorbed region). The SEM images show effective step coverage. In comparison to the untreated TCS solar cells, applying the experimental SiO_x/SiO_xN_y/SiN_x TLARCs to conventional TCS solar cells improved the short-circuit current density (J_sc) by 7.78%, and solar-cell efficiency by 10.95%. This study demonstrates that the SiO_x/SiO_xN_y/SiN_x TLARCs structure provides antireflective properties over a broad range of visible and near-infrared light wavelengths. An effective step coverage and minimal value of reflection from unabsorbed region shift to the absorbed region is demonstrated.     

扩散温度和时间对晶体硅太阳电池性能的影响

研究了薄层方块电阻对单晶硅太阳电池的开路电压(Voc)、短路电流(Isc)、填充因子(FF)和转换效率(η)的影响.通过控制扩散温度和时间制备了具有不同薄层方块电阻的单晶硅太阳电池.结果表明:当扩散温度和时间分别为863℃和1 050 s时,电池性能得到了有效的改善,其平均开路电压、短路电流、填充因子和转换效率分别为0.64V,5.58A,0.755和17.3％.     

Silicon nitride processing for control of optical and electronic properties of silicon solar cells

Thin films of SiN are well suited as antireflection (AR) coatings for Si solar cells because their optical properties, such as refractive index and absorption coefficient, can be tailored during deposition to match those of Si solar cells. The SiN layers, particularly those deposited by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process, can serve other functions in Si solar-cell fabrication. They can be excellent buffer layers through which the front metal contact can be fired. The PECVD nitridation also introduces H into the Si surface, which diffuses deep into the solar cell and passivates residual impurities and defects during metal-contact firing. The optimization of SiN properties and processing conditions may have conflicting demands based on its multifunctional role. To fully exploit these multiple functions, the SiN processing sequence must be optimized based on the properties of the nitride, the diffusion behavior of H, and the interactions of metal with the SiN/Si composite substrate.     

Shunt types in crystalline silicon solar cells

Nine different types of shunt have been found in state‐of‐the‐art mono‐ and multicrystalline solar cells by lock‐in thermography and identified by SEM investigation (including EBIC), TEM and EDX. These shunts differ by the type of their I–V characteristics (linear or nonlinear) and by their physical origin. Six shunt types are process‐induced, and three are caused by grown‐in defects of the material. The most important process‐induced shunts are residues of the emitter at the edge of the cells, cracks, recombination sites at the cell edge, Schottky‐type shunts below grid lines, scratches, and aluminum particles at the surface. The material‐induced shunts are strong recombination sites at grown‐in defects (e.g., metal‐decorated small‐angle grain boundaries), grown‐in macroscopic Si₃N₄ inclusions, and inversion layers caused by microscopic SiC precipitates on grain boundaries crossing the wafer. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Double-parallel-junction hybrid solar cells based on silicon nanocrystals

A novel type silicon nanocrystal-based hybrid solar cell is demonstrated here, where two individual junctions are designed carefully and arranged in parallel with each other. It is found that complementary absorption can be realized by double parallel junctions, and more photons in a wide energy range can be absorbed. As a result, device efficiency has been enhanced more than twice compared to single junction reference device. In addition, its working principles are also studied extensively.     

Textured silicon surface passivation by high‐rate expanding thermal plasma deposited SiN and thermal SiO2/SiN stacks for crystalline silicon solar cells

Expanding thermal plasma (ETP) deposited silicon nitride (SiN) with optical properties suited for the use as antireflection coating (ARC) on silicon solar cells has been used as passivation layer on textured monocrystalline silicon wafers. The surface passivation behavior of these high‐rate (>5 nm/s) deposited SiN films has been investigated for single layer passivation schemes and for thermal SiO₂/SiN stack systems before and after a thermal treatment that is normally used for contact‐firing. It is shown that as‐deposited ETP SiN used as a single passivation layer almost matches the performance of a thermal oxide. Furthermore, the SiN passivation behavior improves after a contact‐firing step, while the thermal oxide passivation degrades which makes ETP SiN a better alternative for single passivation layer schemes in combination with a contact‐firing step. Moreover, using the ETP SiN as a part of a thermal SiO₂/SiN stack proves to be the best alternative by realizing very low dark saturation current densities of <20 fA/cm² on textured solar‐grade FZ silicon wafers and this is further improved to <10 fA/cm² after the anneal step. Optical and electrical film characterizations have also been carried out on these SiN layers in order to study the behavior of the SiN before and after the thermal treatment. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Towards high-eficiency silicon solar cells by rapid thermal processing

Rapid thermal processing can offer many advantages, such as small overall thermal budget and low power and time consumption, in a strategy focused on cost-effective techniques for the preparation of solar cells in a continuous way. We show here that this very short duration (a few tens of seconds) of isothermal heating performed in a lamp furnace can be used for many thermal steps of silicon solar cell processing. Rapid thermal processing was applied to form the p-n junction from a phosphorus-doped spin-on silica film deposted on (100) silicon substrates at typical processing temperatures between 800 and 1100°C. the solar cells showed conversion efficiencies as good as those processed in a conventional way.     

On the detection of shunts in silicon solar cells by photo‐ and electroluminescence imaging

Recently electroluminescence (EL) and photoluminescence (PL) imaging were reported to allow detection of strong ohmic shunts in silicon solar cells. Comparing lock‐in thermography (LIT) images with luminescence images of various shunted cells, measured under different conditions, the ability of luminescence techniques for shunt detection is investigated. Luminescence imaging allows identifying ohmic shunts only if they reach a certain strength. The detection limit for PL measurements of linear shunts was estimated to be in the order of 15 mA at 0·5 V bias for a point‐like shunt in multicrystalline (mc) cells. Pre‐breakdown sites can also be detected by electroluminescence under reverse bias. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Properties of Rapidly-Grown rtr silicon sheet and their effects on solar cell processing

Silicon sheet grown by the Ribbon-to-Ribbon (RTR) crystal growth method exhibits characteristics that are unusual relative to solar cell processing on conventional silicon wafers. One such characteristic is the low (5-15 ym) minority carrier diffusion length observed in as-grown ribbons. This value is increased to as high as 100 ym due to a two step getter ing effect that results from the normal process sequence used for solar cell fabrication. A second characteristic reported here is a dense macroscopic dendritic structure which occurs at the higher growth rates. This presents a very irregular, non-planar surface onto which solar cells can be fabricated. The characteristics of solar cells made on dendritic ribbon are similar to those made on ribbons that do not contain dendrites.     

Improvement of hydrogenated amorphous silicon germanium thin film solar cells by different p-type contact layer

In this study, we report an appreciably increased efficiency from 6% up to 9.1% of hydrogenated amorphous silicon germanium (a-SiGe:H) thin film solar cells by using a combination of different p-doped window layers, such as boron doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (p-a-Si:H), amorphous silicon oxide (p-a-SiO_x:H), microcrystalline silicon (p-µc-Si:H), and microcrystalline silicon oxide (p-µc-SiO_x:H). Optoelectronic properties and the role of these p-layers in the enhancement of a-SiGe:H cell efficiency were also examined and discussed. An improvement of 1.62 mA/cm² in the short-circuit current density (J_sc) is attributed to the higher band gap of p-type silicon oxide layers. In addition, an increase in open-circuit voltage (V_oc) by 150 mV and fill factor (FF) by 6.93% is ascribed to significantly improved front TCO/p-layer interface contact.     

Efficiency-limiting defects in silicon solar cell material

The precipitation rate of intentionally introduced iron during low-temperature heating is studied among a variety of single-crystal and polycrystalline silicon solar cell materials. A correlation exists between the iron precipitation rate and the carrier recombination rate in dislocation-free as-grown material, suggesting that diffusion-length-limiting defects in as-grown material are structural defects which accelerate iron precipitation. Phosphorous diffusion gettering was found to be particularly ineffective at improving diffusion length after intentional iron contamination in materials with high iron precipitation rates. We propose that intragranular structural defects in solar cell silicon greatly enhance transition metal precipitation during cooling from the melt and become highly recombination-active when decorated with these impurities. The defects then greatly impair diffusion length improvement during phosphorus gettering and limit carrier lifetimes in as-grown material.     

Series resistance imaging in solar cells by lock‐in thermography

Two operation modes of lock‐in thermography are introduced to detect regions of high series resistance in solar cells. These are differential techniques, working in the dark and under illumination, where images taken under two different conditions are used to calculate an image, which is especially sensitive to series resistance variations. Though the series resistance cannot be measured quantitatively by these techniques, regions of increased emitter contact resistance can be reliably detected. A realistic electrothermal modelling of a series resistance defect in a solar cell with and without illumination is presented. The new thermographic techniques are compared with established techniques for series resistance imaging. Especially the technique working under illumination gives results that agree very well with those of other methods. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Two‐dimensional modeling of front contact silicon solar cells

The modeling of a new type of silicon solar cell intended for operation at very high concentration, with all the contacts at its front face, is presented. The two‐dimensional model developed makes use of the theory of the complex variable, and is able to explain the main features of the operation of these cells. It is shown that if all the parameters reach good state‐of‐the‐art values, and with the appropriate layout, this structure can reach 25% efficiency for a range of concentrations wider than any other known silicon cell. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diketopyrrolopyrrole based highly crystalline conjugated molecules for application in small molecule donor-polymer acceptor nonfullerene organic solar cells

In order to specifically investigate the low efficiency of small molecule donor-polymer acceptor (M-P) nonfullerene organic solar cells, we have successfully modify the synthesis of a series of D-π-A-π-D conjugated molecules containing diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) and different end groups. By incorporation of end group with different size of π-conjugation (benzene, naphthalene and pyrene), we further improved the fill factor (FF) and short current density (J_sc) of the donors molecule. Our experimental results and theoretical calculations have proven that the size of the end groups can influence the molecule crystallinity, mobility and intermolecular packing by altering the molecular coplanarity. As the result of improved crystallinity, morphology and fine-tuned mobilities, we demonstrated an increased FF, a high J_sc of ∼4.5 mA/cm² and a power conversion efficiency of 2.05%, which is among the highest efficiency reported for M-P nonfullerene solar cells. Our results provide opportunities and possibilities of achieving higher performance M-P nonfullerene solar cells in the future.     

Development of highly conducting n-type micro-crystalline silicon oxide thin film and its application in high efficiency amorphous silicon solar cell

Wide band gap and highly conducting n-type nano-crystalline silicon film can have multiple roles in thin film solar cell. We prepared phosphorus doped micro-crystalline silicon oxide films (n-μc-SiO:H) of varying crystalline volume fraction (X_c) and applied some of the selected films in device fabrication, so that it plays the roles of n-layer and back reflector in p-i-n type solar cells. It is generally understood that a higher hydrogen dilution is needed to prepare micro-crystalline silicon, but in case of the n-μc-SiO:H an optimized hydrogen dilution was found suitable for higher X_c. Observed X_c of these films mostly decreased with increased plasma power (for pressure<2.0 Torr), increased gas pressure, flow rate of oxygen source gas and flow rates of PH₃>0.08 sccm. In order to determine deposition conditions for optimized opto-electronic and structural characteristics of the n-μc-SiO:H film, the gas flow rates, plasma power, deposition pressure and substrate temperature were varied. In these films, the X_c, dark conductivity (σ_d) and activation energy (E_a) remained within the range of 0–50%, 3.5×10⁻¹⁰ S/cm to 9.1 S/cm and 0.71 eV to 0.02 eV, respectively. Low power (30 W) and optimized flow rates of H₂ (500 sccm), CO₂ (5 sccm), PH₃ (0.08 sccm) showed the best properties of the n-μc-SiO:H layers and an improved performance of a solar cell. The photovoltaic parameters of one of the cells were as follows, open circuit voltage (V_oc), short circuit current density (J_sc), fill-factor (FF), and photovoltaic conversion efficiency (η) were 950 mV, 15 mA/cm², 64.5% and 9.2% respectively.