Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T13:53:28.730Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Processing and Characterization of Efficient Thin-Film Polycrystalline-Silicon Solar Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Ivan Gordon ,
Dries Van Gestel ,
Yu Qiu ,
Srisaran Venkatachalam ,
Guy Beaucarne  and
Jef Poortmans
Ivan Gordon
Affiliation:
[email protected], IMEC, Solar Cell Technology, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium, +32 16 28 82 49, +32 16 28 15 01
Dries Van Gestel
Affiliation:
[email protected], IMEC, Solar Cell Technology, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium
Yu Qiu
Affiliation:
[email protected], IMEC, Solar Cell Technology, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium
Srisaran Venkatachalam
Affiliation:
[email protected], IMEC, Solar Cell Technology, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium
Guy Beaucarne
Affiliation:
[email protected], IMEC, Solar Cell Technology, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium
Jef Poortmans
Affiliation:
[email protected], IMEC, Solar Cell Technology, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium
Get access

Abstract

Efficient thin-film polycrystalline-silicon (pc-Si) solar cells on inexpensive substrates could substantially lower the price of photovoltaic electricity. We recently showed that good solar cells can be made from pc-Si obtained by epitaxial thickening using thermal CVD of a seed layer made by aluminium-induced crystallization (AIC) of amorphous silicon. We already reported cells in substrate configuration with energy conversion efficiencies up to 8.0% for layers on ceramic alumina substrates. However, much higher efficiencies (η > 10%) are needed for this type of pc-Si solar cells to become cost-effective. To achieve these higher efficiencies, cells will probably have to be made in a superstrate configuration on transparent substrates and advanced light trapping will need to be applied. In this paper we report on our recent progress with pc-Si solar cells made on transparent glass-ceramic substrates.

So far, our best pc-Si solar cells in substrate configuration on glass-ceramics showed an efficiency of 6.4%. By using plasma texturing to lower the front side reflection, we increased the current density of our cells by roughly 1 mA cm-2. The Jsc is much lower for cells on glass-ceramic than for cells on alumina. This is the result of the better diffuse back reflectance of alumina compared to glass. The Voc and fill factor are comparable for cells on both substrates.

To make pc-Si solar cells on glass in superstrate configuration, we will use a-Si/c-Si rear junction emitters. As a first test of the feasibility of this approach, we measured the illuminated IV parameters of pc-Si cells made for the substrate configuration in superstrate configuration. In superstrate configuration, the current density of the cells is much lower than in substrate configuration due to the non-optimized cell design for superstrate illumination. The Voc is slightly smaller in superstrate configuration due to the lower current density.

These results indicate that the glass-ceramic substrates are fully compatible to our poly-Si solar cell process. Furthermore, rear-junction poly-Si cells in superstrate configuration should lead to good cell results once the absorber layer thickness is optimized to the diffusion length of the material and light trapping features adapted to the superstrate configuration are applied.

Keywords

photovoltaicSithin film
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1101: Symposium KK – Light Management in Photovoltaic Devices–Theory and Practice , 2008 , 1101-KK04-06
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Beaucarne, G. and Slaoui, A. in Thin-film Solar Cells: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications, edited by Poortmans, J. and Arkhipov, V. (Wiley, New York, 2006).Google Scholar
2 Gordon, I. Carnel, L. Gestel, D. Van, Beaucarne, G. and Poortmans, J. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications 15, 575 (2007).Google Scholar
3 Aberle, A.G., Proceedings of the 21st European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, pp. 738–741 (2006).Google Scholar
4 Gall, S. Schneider, J. Klein, J. Hubener, K. Muske, M. Rau, B. Conrad, E. Sieber, I. Petter, K., Lips, K. Stoger-Pollach, M., Schattschneider, P. Fuhs, W. Thin Solid Films 511-512, 7 (2006).10.1016/j.tsf.2005.12.067Google Scholar
5 Nast, O. Puzzer, T. Koschier, L.M., Sproul, A.B., and Wenham, S.R., Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 3214 (1998).Google Scholar
6 Carnel, L. Gordon, I. Gestel, D. Van, Beaucarne, G. and Poortmans, J. Proceedings of the 22nd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, pp. 1880–1883 (2007).Google Scholar
7 Pinckney, L. R. Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 255, 171 (1999).Google Scholar
8 Carnel, L. Dekkers, H. Gordon, I. Gestel, D. Van, Nieuwenhuysen, K. Van, Beaucarne, G. and Poortmans, J. IEEE Electron Device Letters 27, 163 (2006).Google Scholar
9 Carnel, L. Gordon, I. Dekkers, H. Duerinckx, F. Gestel, D. Van, Beaucarne, G. and Poortmans, J. Proceedings of the 21st European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, pp. 830–833 (2006).Google Scholar
10 Dekkers, H.F.W., Agostinelli, G. Dehertoghe, D. and Beaucarne, G. Proceedings of the 19th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, pp. 412–415 (2004).Google Scholar
11 Gordon, I. Gestel, D. Van, Nieuwenhuysen, K. Van, Carnel, L. Beaucarne, G. and Poortmans, J. Thin Solid Films 487, 113 (2005).Google Scholar