Efficiency Limitations of Multicrystalline Silicon Solar Cells Due to Defect Clusters

2005 ◽  
Vol 864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhushan Sopori ◽  
Chuan Li ◽  
S. Narayanan ◽  
D. Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Multicrystalline Silicon ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Efficiency Loss ◽  
Defect Clusters ◽  
Si Solar Cell ◽  
Solar Cell Fabrication ◽  
Cell Fabrication ◽  
Large Clusters

AbstractMulticrystalline Si wafers used in commercial solar cell fabrication exhibit a tendency to form large “clusters” of defects, which remain laterally separated from each other. Defect clusters are also sites of impurity precipitation. Because precipitated impurities cannot be gettered by the conventional processes used in Si solar cell fabrication, defect clusters constitute low-performing regions in the cell. They shunt the device and constitute the primary efficiency limiting mechanism in current solar cells. We show that the efficiency loss caused by defect clusters can exceed 3–4 absolute points.

scholarly journals The Viability of Organic Dyes in Luminescent Down-Shifting Layers for the Enhancement of Si Solar Cell Efficiency

2020 ◽  
Vol 995 ◽  
pp. 71-76
Author(s):  
Aaron Glenn ◽  
Conor Mc Loughlin ◽  
Hind Ahmed ◽  
Hoda Akbari ◽  
Subhash Chandra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Organic Dyes ◽  
Polyvinyl Butyral ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell Efficiency ◽  
Cell Efficiency ◽  
Si Solar Cell ◽  
Si Solar Cells

The main energy losses in solar cells are related to spectral losses where high energy photons are not used efficiently, and energy is lost via thermalization which reduces the solar cell’s overall efficiency. A way to tackle this is to introduce a luminescent down-shifting layer (LDS) to convert these high energy photons into a lower energy bracket helping the solar cell to absorb them and thus generating a greater power output. In this paper, lumogen dye Violet 570 has been used as LDS coated films of 10μm and 60μm placed on top of Si solar cells. The dye was incorporated into polymer films of Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) and Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) after which they were tested for their absorption, transmission and emission properties. Once optimised layers had been determined, they were deposited directly onto silicon solar cells and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the Si solar cells were measured with and without the LDS layers. The resulting graphs have shown an increase of up to 2.9% in the overall EQE efficiency after the lumogen films had been applied.

scholarly journals Isolation of III-V/Ge Multijunction Solar Cells by Wet Etching

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
A. Turala ◽  
A. Jaouad ◽  
D. P. Masson ◽  
S. Fafard ◽  
R. Arès ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Cell Size ◽  
Charge Trapping ◽  
Wet Etching ◽  
Fabrication Process ◽  
Multijunction Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell Fabrication ◽  
Cell Fabrication ◽  
Trapping Centers

Microfabrication cycles of III-V multijunction solar cells include several technological steps and end with a wafer dicing step to separate individual cells. This step introduces damage at lateral facets of the junctions that act as charge trapping centers, potentially causing performance and reliability issues, which become even more important with today’s trend of cell size reduction. In this paper we propose a process of wet etching of microtrenches that allows electrical isolation of individual solar cells with no damage to the sidewalls. Etching with bromine-methanol, the solution that is typically used for nonselective etching of III-V compounds, results in the formation of unwanted holes on the semiconductor surfaces. We investigate the origin of holes formation and discuss methods to overcome this effect. We present an implementation of the isolation step into a solar cell fabrication process flow. This improved fabrication process opens the way for improved die strength, yield, and reliability.

Polymethylmethacrylate coating on aligned carbon nanotube–silicon solar cells for performance improvement

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (12) ◽  
pp. 4140-4143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ru Li ◽  
Jiangtao Di ◽  
Zhenzhong Yong ◽  
Baoquan Sun ◽  
Qingwen Li
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Carbon Nanotube ◽  
Performance Improvement ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Si Solar Cell

PMMA coating on aligned CNT–Si solar cell with efficiency of 13% after doping by NO2.

Solar paint of ZnO/CdS and ZnO/CdSe based on commercial ZnO

2016 ◽  
Vol 09 (02) ◽  
pp. 1650018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Guo ◽  
Xiang Zhang ◽  
Yanhong Li ◽  
Yanmei Li ◽  
Chunli Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Electron Transport ◽  
High Power ◽  
Light Absorption ◽  
Power Conversion ◽  
High Power Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Solar Cell Fabrication ◽  
Zno Particles ◽  
Cell Fabrication

We report a facile and cheap route to the fabrication of ZnO/CdS and ZnO/CdSe based on commercial ZnO particles. The obtained product can be directly brush printed as solar paint. The results show that the solar cell based on the mixture of ZnO/CdS and ZnO/CdSe have a better light absorption and electron transport ability, and a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.36% was obtained, which is the highest PCE reported for inorganic paint-based solar cells to date. This method greatly simplifies the process of the solar cell fabrication and opens a door toward the cheap and printable solar paint based on commercial available materials.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document