Eliminating Light-Induced Degradation in Commercial p-Type Czochralski Silicon Solar Cells

• Published in: Applied sciences 2018-01, Vol.8 (1), p.10
• Main Authors: Hallam, Brett, Herguth, Axel, Hamer, Phillip, Nampalli, Nitin, Wilking, Svenja, Abbott, Malcolm, Wenham, Stuart, Hahn, Giso
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Boron; boron-oxygen; Defect annealing; Degradation; Fabrication; hydrogen passivation; Hydrogen storage; Light; light-induced degradation; Mitigation; p-type Czochralski; Photodegradation; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaics; regeneration; Silicon; silicon solar cell; Silicon wafers; Solar cells
• ISSN: 2076-3417; 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app8010010

This paper discusses developments in the mitigation of light-induced degradation caused by boron-oxygen defects in boron-doped Czochralski grown silicon. Particular attention is paid to the fabrication of industrial silicon solar cells with treatments for sensitive materials using illuminated annealing. It highlights the importance and desirability of using hydrogen-containing dielectric layers and a subsequent firing process to inject hydrogen throughout the bulk of the silicon solar cell and subsequent illuminated annealing processes for the formation of the boron-oxygen defects and simultaneously manipulate the charge states of hydrogen to enable defect passivation. For the photovoltaic industry with a current capacity of approximately 100 GW peak, the mitigation of boron-oxygen related light-induced degradation is a necessity to use cost-effective B-doped silicon while benefitting from the high-efficiency potential of new solar cell concepts.