Abstract
The grain boundaries (GBs)in multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) act as potential barriers for photo-generated carriers. In conventional mc-Si solar cells, photo-generated carriers must travel through the GBs before they are collected at the grid metal. We investigated new types of solar cells and their characteristics by using a preferential GB etching and by inserting an additional electrode along the removed GBs. Preferential etching gave a textured surface of 2 μm as well as a deep trench of over 10 μm along the GBs. By placing an electrode at the GBs, we achieved a short-circuit current density of 15 mA/cm2 at an input power of 8.9 mW/cm2 and obtained an efficiency improvement by 2%. This paper discusses the GB characteristics and a method to improve the performance of mc-Si solar cells.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 64-68 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of the Korean Physical Society |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Jul 2000 |
