Submit to Energies Review for Energies Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

High-Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A2: Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2020) | Viewed by 26781

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special issue High-Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells book cover image

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Eun-Chel Cho

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
Interests: high-efficiency silicon solar cell; PV module and system; PV system performance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Hae-Seok Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Energy Environment Policy and Technology, KU-KIST Green School, Graduate School of Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Interests: high-efficiency silicon solar cell; PV module and system

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Guest Editor is inviting submissions for a Special Issue of Energies on the subject area of "High-Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells". Photovoltaic solar energy provides humankind with a valuable instrument to develop a sustainable, globally prosperous, and environmentally friendly society. Among many photovoltaic devices, the crystalline silicon solar cells and their system application occupy more than 95% of the photovoltaic market. High-efficiency cell structures help to reduce the costs of photovoltaic energy generation in two ways: (i) by increasing the efficiency and, hence, the power output per area of used silicon or (ii) by allowing the use of thinner wafers, achieving the same level or even improved efficiency and, hence, the power output per volume or per weight. However, four important aspects are associated with high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells, that is, (i) the surface passivation, (ii) metal contacts, (iii) material quality, and (iv) cell structure.

Hence, this Special Issue looks for participations in the high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells under enhanced scientific and multidisciplinary knowledge to improve performance and deployment for PV energy security. We thus call for papers on innovative technical developments, reviews, as well as simulation-based papers from various disciplines, which are applicable to high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells. Topics of interest for publication include but are not limited to:

Silicon heterojunction;
Passivated emitter rear contact (PERC, PERT, PERT);
Carrier selective contact;
Poly-Si application to solar cells (TopCon, POLO, etc.);
Interdigitated back contact (IBC);
Hybrid back contact;
Perovskite/silicon tandem;
III-V/silicon tandem.

Prof. Dr. Eun-Chel Cho
Prof. Dr. Hae-Seok Lee
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

silicon heterojunction
passivated emitter rear contact (PERC, PERT, PERT)
carrier selective contact
poly-Si application to solar cells (TopCon, POLO, etc.)
interdigitated back contact (IBC)
hybrid back contact
perovskite/silicon tandem
III-V/silicon tandem

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

14 pages, 5757 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Method to Achieve Selective Emitter Using Surface Morphology for PERC Silicon Solar Cells

by Minkyu Ju, Jeongeun Park, Young Hyun Cho, Youngkuk Kim, Donggun Lim, Eun-Chel Cho and Junsin Yi

Energies 2020, 13(19), 5207; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13195207 - 6 Oct 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2560

Abstract

Recently, selective emitter (SE) technology has attracted renewed attention in the Si solar cell industry to achieve an improved conversion efficiency of passivated-emitter rear-contact (PERC) cells. In this study, we presented a novel technique for the SE formation by controlling the surface morphology of Si wafers. SEs were formed simultaneously, that is, in a single step for the doping process on different surface morphologies, nano/micro-surfaces, which were formed during the texturing processes; in the same doping process, the nano- and micro-structured areas showed different sheet resistances. In addition, the difference in sheet resistance between the heavily doped and shallow emitters could be controlled from almost 0 to 60 Ω/sq by changing the doping process conditions, pre-deposition and driving time, and temperature. Regarding cell fabrication, wafers simultaneously doped in the same tube were used. The sheet resistance of the homogeneously doped-on standard micro-pyramid surface was approximately 82 Ω/sq, and those of the selectively formed nano/micro-surfaces doped on were on 62 and 82 Ω/sq, respectively. As a result, regarding doped-on selectively formed nano/micro-surfaces, SE cells showed a J_SC increase (0.44 mA/cm²) and a fill factor (FF) increase (0.6%) with respect to the homogeneously doped cells on the micro-pyramid surface, resulting in about 0.27% enhanced conversion efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

19 pages, 10566 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Complex Investigation of High Efficiency and Reliable Heterojunction Solar Cell Based on an Improved Cu₂O Absorber Layer

by Laurentiu Fara, Irinela Chilibon, Ørnulf Nordseth, Dan Craciunescu, Dan Savastru, Cristina Vasiliu, Laurentiu Baschir, Silvian Fara, Raj Kumar, Edouard Monakhov and James P. Connolly

Energies 2020, 13(18), 4667; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13184667 - 8 Sep 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2670

Abstract

This study is aimed at increasing the performance and reliability of silicon-based heterojunction solar cells with advanced methods. This is achieved by a numerical electro-optical modeling and reliability analysis for such solar cells correlated with experimental analysis of the Cu₂O absorber layer. It yields the optimization of a silicon tandem heterojunction solar cell based on a ZnO/Cu₂O subcell and a c-Si bottom subcell using electro-optical numerical modeling. The buffer layer affinity and mobility together with a low conduction band offset for the heterojunction are discussed, as well as spectral properties of the device model. Experimental research of N-doped Cu₂O thin films was dedicated to two main activities: (1) fabrication of specific samples by DC magnetron sputtering and (2) detailed characterization of the analyzed samples. This last investigation was based on advanced techniques: morphological (scanning electron microscopy—SEM and atomic force microscopy—AFM), structural (X-ray diffraction—XRD), and optical (spectroscopic ellipsometry—SE and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy—FTIR). This approach qualified the heterojunction solar cell based on cuprous oxide with nitrogen as an attractive candidate for high-performance solar devices. A reliability analysis based on Weibull statistical distribution establishes the degradation degree and failure rate of the studied solar cells under stress and under standard conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

11 pages, 3762 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Contact Reaction Phenomenon between Aluminum–Silver and p+ Diffused Layer for n-Type c-Si Solar Cell Applications

by Cheolmin Park, Sungyoon Chung, Nagarajan Balaji, Shihyun Ahn, Sunhwa Lee, Jinjoo Park and Junsin Yi

Energies 2020, 13(17), 4537; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13174537 - 2 Sep 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 9718

Abstract

In this study, the contact mechanism between Ag–Al and Si and the change in contact resistance (Rc) were analyzed by varying the firing profile. The front electrode of an n-type c-Si solar cell was formed through a screen-printing process using Ag–Al paste. Rc was measured by varying the belt speed and peak temperature of the fast-firing furnace. Rc value of 6.98 mΩ-cm⁻² was obtained for an optimal fast-firing profile with 865 °C peak temperature and 110 inches per min belt speed. The contact phenomenon and the influence of impurities between the front-electrode–Si interface and firing conditions were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The EDS analysis revealed that the peak firing temperature at 865 °C exhibited a low atomic weight percentage of Al (0.72 and 0.36%) because Al was involved in the formation of alloy of Si with the front electrode. Based on the optimal results, a solar cell with a conversion efficiency of 19.46% was obtained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 3207 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon via Excimer Laser Annealing and Evaluation of Its Passivation Properties

by Sanchari Chowdhury, Jinsu Park, Jaemin Kim, Sehyeon Kim, Youngkuk Kim, Eun-Chel Cho, Younghyun Cho and Junsin Yi

Energies 2020, 13(13), 3335; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13133335 - 30 Jun 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4666

Abstract

The crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) is essential for improving solar cell efficiency. In this study, we analyzed the crystallization of a-Si:H via excimer laser annealing (ELA) and compared this process with conventional thermal annealing. ELA prevents thermal damage to the substrate while maintaining the melting point temperature. Here, we used xenon monochloride (XeCl), krypton fluoride (KrF), and deep ultra-violet (UV) lasers with wavelengths of 308, 248, and 266 nm, respectively. Laser energy densities and shot counts were varied during ELA for a-Si:H films between 20 and 80 nm thick. All the samples were subjected to forming gas annealing to eliminate the dangling bonds in the film. The ELA samples were compared with samples subjected to thermal annealing performed at 850–950 °C for a-Si:H films of the same thickness. The crystallinity obtained via deep UV laser annealing was similar to that obtained using conventional thermal annealing. The optimal passivation property was achieved when crystallizing a 20 nm thick a-Si:H layer using the XeCl excimer laser at an energy density of 430 mJ/cm². Thus, deep UV laser annealing exhibits potential for the crystallization of a-Si:H films for TOPCon cell fabrication, as compared to conventional thermal annealing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

11 pages, 2847 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of the Carrier Selective Front Contact Layer and Defect State of a-Si:H/c-Si Interface on the Rear Emitter Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

by Sunhwa Lee, Duy Phong Pham, Youngkuk Kim, Eun-Chel Cho, Jinjoo Park and Junsin Yi

Energies 2020, 13(11), 2948; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13112948 - 8 Jun 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2732

Abstract

In this research, simulations were performed to investigate the effects of carrier selective front contact (CSFC) layer and defect state of hydrogenated amorphous silicon passivation layer/n-type crystalline silicon interface in silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells employing the Automat for Simulation of hetero-structure (AFORS-HET) simulation program. The results demonstrated the effects of band offset determined by band bending at the interface of the CSFC layer/passivation layer. In addition, the nc-SiOx: H CSFC layer not only reduces parasitic absorption loss but also has a tunneling effect and field effect passivation. Furthermore, it increased the selectivity of contact. In the experimental cell, nc-SiO_x:H was used as the CSFC layer, where efficiency of the SHJ solar cell was 22.77%. Our investigation shows that if a SiO_x layer passivation layer is used, the device can achieve efficiency up to 25.26%. This improvement in the cell is mainly due to the enhancement in open circuit voltage (V_oc) because of lower interface defect density resulting from the SiO_x passivation layer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

10 pages, 4152 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Analysis of Fill Factor Loss Depending on the Temperature for the Industrial Silicon Solar Cells

by Kwan Hong Min, Taejun Kim, Min Gu Kang, Hee-eun Song, Yoonmook Kang, Hae-Seok Lee, Donghwan Kim, Sungeun Park and Sang Hee Lee

Energies 2020, 13(11), 2931; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13112931 - 7 Jun 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3332

Abstract

Since the temperature of a photovoltaic (PV) module is not consistent as it was estimated at a standard test condition, the thermal stability of the solar cell parameters determines the temperature dependence of the PV module. Fill factor loss analysis of crystalline silicon solar cell is one of the most efficient methods to diagnose the dominant problem, accurately. In this study, the fill factor analysis method and the double-diode model of a solar cell was applied to analyze the effect of J₀₁, J₀₂, R_s, and R_sh on the fill factor in details. The temperature dependence of the parameters was compared through the passivated emitter rear cell (PERC) of the industrial scale solar cells. As a result of analysis, PERC cells showed different temperature dependence for the fill factor loss of the J₀₁ and J₀₂ as temperatures rose. In addition, we confirmed that fill factor loss from the J₀₁ and J₀₂ at elevated temperature depends on the initial state of the solar cells. The verification of the fill factor loss analysis was conducted by comparing to the fitting results of the injection dependent-carrier lifetime. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

High-Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (6 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI