Beneficial effects of the aluminum alloy process as practiced in the photovoltaic device fabrication laboratory [electronic resource].

Published: Washington, D.C. : United States. Dept. of Energy, 1995.
Oak Ridge, Tenn. : Distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy.
Physical Description: 8 pages : digital, PDF file
Additional Creators: Sandia National Laboratories, United States. Department of Energy, and United States. Department of Energy. Office of Scientific and Technical Information

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Summary

The aluminum alloy process implemented in Sandia`s Photovoltaic Device Fabrication Laboratory (PDFL) has major beneficial effects on the performance of commercial multicrystalline-silicon (mc-Si) substrates. Careful analysis of identically processed cells (except for the alloyed layer) in matched mc-Si substrates clearly indicates that the majority of the benefit arises from improved bulk minority carrier diffusion length. Based on spectral response measurements and PC-1D modeling the authors have observed improvements due to the alloy process of up to 400% in the average diffusion length in moderate-area cells and around 50% in large-area cells. The diffusion length is dramatically improved in the interior of the silicon grains in alloyed substrates, resulting in the majority of the recombination occurring at the grain boundaries and localized areas with high defect densities.

Report Numbers

E 1.99:sand--95-1602c
E 1.99: conf-9508143--1
conf-9508143--1
sand--95-1602c

Subject(s)

Solar Energy

Other Subject(s)

Note

Published through SciTech Connect.
07/01/1995.
"sand--95-1602c"
" conf-9508143--1"
"DE95015432"
5. workshop on the role of impurities and defects in silicon device processing, Copper Mountain, CO (United States), 13-16 Aug 1995.
Schubert, W.K.

Funding Information

AC04-94AL85000

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