High current, thin silicon-on-ceramic solar cell

Thin-film polycrystalline silicon solar cells offer the potential to achieve 19% efficient photovoltaic power conversion. Well-designed, 20-100 micron thick, thin-film silicon solar cells can achieve high efficiency by employing light trapping and back surface passivation. Low cost is achieved by mi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on electron devices 1999-10, Vol.46 (10), p.2162-2164
Main Authors: Ford, D.H., Rand, J.A., Delledonne, E.J., Ingram, A.E., Bisaillon, J.C., Feyock, B.W., Mauk, M.G., Hall, R.B., Barnett, A.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
CERAMICS
Devices
MATERIALS SCIENCE
Passivation
Photovoltaic cells
Silicon
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
Silicon substrates
Solar cells
SOLAR ENERGY
Solar power generation
SUBSTRATES
THIN FILMS
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Summary:Thin-film polycrystalline silicon solar cells offer the potential to achieve 19% efficient photovoltaic power conversion. Well-designed, 20-100 micron thick, thin-film silicon solar cells can achieve high efficiency by employing light trapping and back surface passivation. Low cost is achieved by minimizing the amount of feedstock silicon required per watt of power output. Electrically insulating supporting substrates enable monolithic, series-connected submodules. A solar cell device comprised of a 20 micron thick layer of silicon grown on an insulating ceramic substrate, designed to effect light-trapping and back surface passivation, has resulted in an independently verified short circuit current of 25.8 mA/cm/sup 2/. Analysis of the spectral response of the solar cell indicates the presence of both light-trapping and back surface passivation with an effective diffusion length in excess of twice the device thickness.
ISSN:0018-9383
1557-9646
DOI:10.1109/16.792012