Lifetime measurements in solar cells of various thicknesses and the related silicon wafers

Large area (100 cm 2 or larger) Czochralski-grown (CZ) silicon wafers combined with an appropriate low-cost manufacturing technology will probably be one of the best choices for large-scale and low-cost solar cell production for several years. The aim of this work is to test if a technology based on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Solar cells 1990, Vol.28 (4), p.287-292
Main Authors: Van Steenwinkel, Raymond, Carotta, Maria Cristina, Martinelli, Giuliano, Merli, Marco, Passari, Luigi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Natural energy
Solar energy
Solar thermal conversion
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Summary:Large area (100 cm 2 or larger) Czochralski-grown (CZ) silicon wafers combined with an appropriate low-cost manufacturing technology will probably be one of the best choices for large-scale and low-cost solar cell production for several years. The aim of this work is to test if a technology based on thick film techniques limits the solar cell efficiency by lowering the minority carriers lifetime of the CZ commercial wafers. To decouple bulk and surface effects on carrier lifetime we used samples of various thicknesses for the wafers and for the related solar cells. The experimental methods used were based on the measurements of the photoconductivity decay for the starting material, and the photocurrent decay and spectral responsivity for the devices. The results clearly show that the back surface field (BSF) practically eliminates the back surface recombination and that the technological processes do not significantly degrade the raw material lifetime.
ISSN:0379-6787
1878-2655
DOI:10.1016/0379-6787(90)90063-B