Pathways for efficiency improvements of industrial PERC silicon solar cells

•Investigates industrial process improvements of PERC solar cells from 20.7% to 21.9%.•Dot-shaped laser opening dual printing laser-doped selective-emitter improve efficiency.•Loss analysis carried out to identify the power loss mechanisms in the 21.9% cells. The global manufacturing capacity of Pas...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inSolar energy Vol. 214; pp. 101 - 109
Main Authors Balaji, Nagarajan, Lai, Donny, Shanmugam, Vinodh, Basu, Prabir Kanti, Khanna, Ankit, Duttagupta, Shubham, Aberle, Armin G.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Elsevier Ltd 15.01.2021
Pergamon Press Inc
Subjects
Developmental stages
Efficiency
Emitters
Laser ablation
Lasers
Loss analysis
Passivated contacts
PERC
Photovoltaic cells
Pulsed lasers
Selective emitter
Silicon
Solar cells
Solar energy
Selective emitter
PERC
Laser ablation
Passivated contacts
Loss analysis
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:•Investigates industrial process improvements of PERC solar cells from 20.7% to 21.9%.•Dot-shaped laser opening dual printing laser-doped selective-emitter improve efficiency.•Loss analysis carried out to identify the power loss mechanisms in the 21.9% cells. The global manufacturing capacity of Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) devices on p-type Czochralski-grown silicon (Cz-Si) wafers is increasing rapidly. This paper analyses various industrial process improvements carried out in our lab to improve the efficiency of large-area Cz-Si PERC solar cells from 20.7% to 21.9%. The key improvements presented in this paper include the transition from line to dot-shaped laser openings in the rear dielectric stack, a dual printing approach for the front fingers and implementation of a laser-doped selective-emitter structure. A nanosecond (ns) pulsed laser source with 532 nm wavelength was used for both the rear dielectric ablation and the front laser doping. By adopting a systematic power loss analysis approach and targeting the largest power loss mechanisms at various stages of development, the best efficiency of the solar cells in this experimental study was improved from 20.7% to 21.9%. Pathways for further improvements in efficiency are analysed, including the application of passivated-contact structures in a PERC-like cell.
ISSN:0038-092X
1471-1257
DOI:10.1016/j.solener.2020.11.025