Simple processing of back-contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells using selective-area crystalline growth

Andrea Tomasi; Bertrand Paviet-Salomon; Quentin Jeangros; Jan Haschke; Gabriel Christmann; Loris Barraud; Antoine Descoeudres; Johannes Peter Seif; Sylvain Nicolay; Matthieu Despeisse; Stefaan De Wolf; Christophe Ballif

doi:10.1038/nenergy.2017.62

Simple processing of back-contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells using selective-area crystalline growth

Andrea Tomasi, Bertrand Paviet-Salomon, Quentin Jeangros, Jan Haschke, Gabriel Christmann, Loris Barraud, Antoine Descoeudres, Johannes Peter Seif, Sylvain Nicolay, Matthieu Despeisse, Stefaan De Wolf, Christophe Ballif

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

104 Scopus citations

Abstract

For crystalline-silicon solar cells, voltages close to the theoretical limit are nowadays readily achievable when using passivating contacts. Conversely, maximal current generation requires the integration of the electron and hole contacts at the back of the solar cell to liberate its front from any shadowing loss. Recently, the world-record efficiency for crystalline-silicon single-junction solar cells was achieved by merging these two approaches in a single device; however, the complexity of fabricating this class of devices raises concerns about their commercial potential. Here we show a contacting method that substantially simplifies the architecture and fabrication of back-contacted silicon solar cells. We exploit the surface-dependent growth of silicon thin films, deposited by plasma processes, to eliminate the patterning of one of the doped carrier-collecting layers. Then, using only one alignment step for electrode definition, we fabricate a proof-of-concept 9-cm2 tunnel-interdigitated back-contact solar cell with a certified conversion efficiency >22.5%.

Original language	English (US)
Journal	Nature Energy
Volume	2
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2017.62
State	Published - Apr 24 2017

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) by the Swiss Federal Office for Energy (SFOE), and by the Fonds National Suisse Reequip Program. The authors thank Meyer Burger Research for scientific partnership and financial support; D. Lachenal and B. Strahm for support and collaboration in back-contacted silicon heterojunction solar-cell development; J. Hermans and Meyer Burger B.V. for the support in inkjet printing; M. Pickrell and SunChemicals for supplying the hot melt; the Academic Writing Services at KAUST for text editing; M. J. Lehmann, N. Badel and H. Watanabe at EPFL and CSEM for their support in back-end processing; and A. Hessler at EPFL and CIME for the TEM observations.

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10.1038/nenergy.2017.62

https://repository.kaust.edu.sa/bitstream/10754/623314/1/Revision_Manuscript_no%20changes%20highlighted.pdf

Cite this

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title = "Simple processing of back-contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells using selective-area crystalline growth",

abstract = "For crystalline-silicon solar cells, voltages close to the theoretical limit are nowadays readily achievable when using passivating contacts. Conversely, maximal current generation requires the integration of the electron and hole contacts at the back of the solar cell to liberate its front from any shadowing loss. Recently, the world-record efficiency for crystalline-silicon single-junction solar cells was achieved by merging these two approaches in a single device; however, the complexity of fabricating this class of devices raises concerns about their commercial potential. Here we show a contacting method that substantially simplifies the architecture and fabrication of back-contacted silicon solar cells. We exploit the surface-dependent growth of silicon thin films, deposited by plasma processes, to eliminate the patterning of one of the doped carrier-collecting layers. Then, using only one alignment step for electrode definition, we fabricate a proof-of-concept 9-cm2 tunnel-interdigitated back-contact solar cell with a certified conversion efficiency >22.5%.",

author = "Andrea Tomasi and Bertrand Paviet-Salomon and Quentin Jeangros and Jan Haschke and Gabriel Christmann and Loris Barraud and Antoine Descoeudres and Seif, {Johannes Peter} and Sylvain Nicolay and Matthieu Despeisse and {De Wolf}, Stefaan and Christophe Ballif",

note = "KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) by the Swiss Federal Office for Energy (SFOE), and by the Fonds National Suisse Reequip Program. The authors thank Meyer Burger Research for scientific partnership and financial support; D. Lachenal and B. Strahm for support and collaboration in back-contacted silicon heterojunction solar-cell development; J. Hermans and Meyer Burger B.V. for the support in inkjet printing; M. Pickrell and SunChemicals for supplying the hot melt; the Academic Writing Services at KAUST for text editing; M. J. Lehmann, N. Badel and H. Watanabe at EPFL and CSEM for their support in back-end processing; and A. Hessler at EPFL and CIME for the TEM observations.",

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AU - Tomasi, Andrea

AU - Paviet-Salomon, Bertrand

AU - Jeangros, Quentin

AU - Haschke, Jan

AU - Christmann, Gabriel

AU - Barraud, Loris

AU - Descoeudres, Antoine

AU - Seif, Johannes Peter

AU - Nicolay, Sylvain

AU - Despeisse, Matthieu

AU - De Wolf, Stefaan

AU - Ballif, Christophe

N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) by the Swiss Federal Office for Energy (SFOE), and by the Fonds National Suisse Reequip Program. The authors thank Meyer Burger Research for scientific partnership and financial support; D. Lachenal and B. Strahm for support and collaboration in back-contacted silicon heterojunction solar-cell development; J. Hermans and Meyer Burger B.V. for the support in inkjet printing; M. Pickrell and SunChemicals for supplying the hot melt; the Academic Writing Services at KAUST for text editing; M. J. Lehmann, N. Badel and H. Watanabe at EPFL and CSEM for their support in back-end processing; and A. Hessler at EPFL and CIME for the TEM observations.

PY - 2017/4/24

Y1 - 2017/4/24

N2 - For crystalline-silicon solar cells, voltages close to the theoretical limit are nowadays readily achievable when using passivating contacts. Conversely, maximal current generation requires the integration of the electron and hole contacts at the back of the solar cell to liberate its front from any shadowing loss. Recently, the world-record efficiency for crystalline-silicon single-junction solar cells was achieved by merging these two approaches in a single device; however, the complexity of fabricating this class of devices raises concerns about their commercial potential. Here we show a contacting method that substantially simplifies the architecture and fabrication of back-contacted silicon solar cells. We exploit the surface-dependent growth of silicon thin films, deposited by plasma processes, to eliminate the patterning of one of the doped carrier-collecting layers. Then, using only one alignment step for electrode definition, we fabricate a proof-of-concept 9-cm2 tunnel-interdigitated back-contact solar cell with a certified conversion efficiency >22.5%.

AB - For crystalline-silicon solar cells, voltages close to the theoretical limit are nowadays readily achievable when using passivating contacts. Conversely, maximal current generation requires the integration of the electron and hole contacts at the back of the solar cell to liberate its front from any shadowing loss. Recently, the world-record efficiency for crystalline-silicon single-junction solar cells was achieved by merging these two approaches in a single device; however, the complexity of fabricating this class of devices raises concerns about their commercial potential. Here we show a contacting method that substantially simplifies the architecture and fabrication of back-contacted silicon solar cells. We exploit the surface-dependent growth of silicon thin films, deposited by plasma processes, to eliminate the patterning of one of the doped carrier-collecting layers. Then, using only one alignment step for electrode definition, we fabricate a proof-of-concept 9-cm2 tunnel-interdigitated back-contact solar cell with a certified conversion efficiency >22.5%.

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/623314

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JF - Nature Energy

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ER -

Simple processing of back-contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells using selective-area crystalline growth

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