Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T06:36:42.808Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Analysis for efficiency potential of crystalline Si solar cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2018

Masafumi Yamaguchi ,
Kan-Hua Lee ,
Kenji Araki ,
Nobuaki Kojima  and
Yoshio Ohshita
Masafumi Yamaguchi*
Affiliation:
Toyota Technological Institute, Nagoya 468-8511, Japan
Kan-Hua Lee
Affiliation:
Toyota Technological Institute, Nagoya 468-8511, Japan
Kenji Araki
Affiliation:
Toyota Technological Institute, Nagoya 468-8511, Japan
Nobuaki Kojima
Affiliation:
Toyota Technological Institute, Nagoya 468-8511, Japan
Yoshio Ohshita
Affiliation:
Toyota Technological Institute, Nagoya 468-8511, Japan
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: masafumi@toyota-ti.ac.jp
Get access

Abstract

Efficiency potential of crystalline Si solar cells is analyzed by considering external radiative efficiency (ERE), voltage, and fill factor losses. Crystalline Si solar cells have an efficiency potential of more than 28.5% by realizing ERE of 20% from about 5% and normalized resistance of less than 0.05 from around 0.1. Nonradiative recombination losses in single-crystalline and multicrystalline Si solar cells are also discussed. Especially, nonrecombination and resistance losses in multicrystalline Si solar cells are shown to be higher than those of single-crystalline cells. Importance of further improvement of minority-carrier lifetime in crystalline Si solar cells is suggested for further improvement of crystalline Si solar cells. High efficiency of more than 28.5% will be realized by realizing high minority-carrier lifetime of more than 30 ms. Key issues for those ends are reduction in carbon concentration of less than 1 × 1014 cm−3, oxygen precipitated and dislocations even in single-crystalline Si solar cells, and reduction in dislocation density of less than 3 × 103 cm−2 in multicrystalline Si solar cells.

Keywords

crystalline Si solar cellsminority carrier lifetimecarbonoxygendislocation
Type
Invited Paper
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 33 , Issue 17 , 14 September 2018 , pp. 2621 - 2626
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

WBGU (German Advisory Council on Global Change): World in Transition—Towards Sustainable Energy Systems (Earthsan, London, 2003); ISBN 1-85383-882-9, http://www.wbgu.de/.Google Scholar
Yoshikawa, K., Kawasaki, H., Yoshida, W., Irie, T., Konishi, K., Nakano, K., Uto, T., Adachi, D., Kanemitsu, M., Uzu, H., and Yamamoto, K.: Silicon heterojunction solar cell with interdigitated back contacts for a photoconversion efficiency over 26%. Nat. Energy 21, 17032 (2017).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ahrenkiel, R.K.: Minority-carrier lifetime in III–V semiconductors. In Semiconductors and Semimetsals, Vol. 39, Ahrenkiel, R.K. and Lundstrom, M.S., eds. (Academic Press, Boston); ch. 2, p. 58.Google Scholar
Yamaguchi, M., Yamada, H., Katsumata, Y., Lee, K-H., Araki, K., and Kojima, N.: Efficiency potential and recent activities of high-efficiency solar cells. J. Mater. Res. 32, 3445 (2017).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rau, U.: Reciprocity relation between photovoltaic quantum efficiency and electroluminescent emission of solar cells. Phys. Rev. B 76, 085303 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, M.A.: Radiative efficiency of state-of-the-art photovoltaic cells. Prog. Photovoltaics 20, 472 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yao, J., Kirchartz, T., Vezie, M.S., Faist, M.A., Gong, W., He, Z., Wu, H., Troughion, J., Watson, T., Bryant, D., and Nelson, J.: Quantifying losses in open-circuit voltage in solution-processable solar cells. Phys. Rev. Appl. 4, 014020 (2015).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhao, J., Wang, A., Green, M.A., and Ferrazza, F.: Novel 19.8% efficient “honeycomb” textures multicrystalline and 24.4% monocrystalline silicon solar cells. Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 1991 (1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taguchi, M., Yano, A., Tohoda, S., Matsuyama, K., Nakamura, Y., Nishiwaki, T., Fujita, K., and Maruyama, E.: 24.7% record efficiency HIT solar cell on thin silicon wafer. IEEE J. Photovolt. 4, 96 (2014).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakamura, J., Asano, N., Hieda, T., Okamoto, C., Ohnishi, T., Kobayashi, M., Tadokoro, H., Suganuma, R., Matsumoto, Y., Katayama, H., Higashi, K., Kamikawa, T., Kimoto, K., Harada, M., Sakai, T., Shigeta, H., Kuniyoshi, T., Tsujino, K., Zou, L., Koide, N., and Nakamura, K.: Development of heterojunction back contact Si solar cells. In Proceedings 40th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (IEEE, New York, 2014); p. 283.Google Scholar
Masuko, K., Shigematsu, M., Hashiguchi, T., Fujishima, D., Kai, M., Yoshimura, N., Yamaguchi, T., Ichihashi, Y., Yamanishi, T., Takahama, T., Taguchi, M., Maruyama, E., and Okamoto, S.: Achievement of more than 25% conversion efficiency with crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cell. IEEE J. Photovolt. 4, 1433 (2014).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, M.A., Emery, K., Hishikawa, Y., Warta, W., and Dunlop, E.D.: Solar cell efficiency tables (version 48). Prog. Photovoltaics 24, 905 (2016).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yamamoto, K.: 26.33% heterojunction back contact silicon solar cells. In Proceedings of the 7th Workshop on Si Solar Cells (Busan, Korea, November 25, 2016); (KPVS), p. 197.Google Scholar
Glunz, S.W., Richter, A., Muller, R., Schindler, F., Hauser, H., Feldmann, F., Krenckel, P., Riepe, S., Benick, J., Schubert, M.C., and Hermle, M.: Multicrystalline silicon solar cells exceeding 22%. In Extended Abstracts of the 27th International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference (Otsu, Japan, November 12–17, 2017); p. 117.Google Scholar
Jin, H.: Record efficiency industrial screen-printed multicrystalline silicon solar cell. In Extended Abstracts of the 27th International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference (Otsu, Japan, November 12–17, 2017); p. 153.Google Scholar
Green, M.A.: Solar Cells (UNSW, Kensington, 1998).Google Scholar
Swanson, R.: Approaching the 29% limit efficiency of silicon solar cells. In Proceedings of the 20th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (WIP, Munich, 2005); p. 584.Google Scholar
Richter, A., Hermle, M., and Glunz, S.W.: Reassessment of the limiting efficiency for crystalline silicon solar cells. IEEE J. Photovolt. 3, 1184 (2013).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dziewior, J. and Schmid, W.: Auger coefficients for highly doped and highly excited silicon. Appl. Phys. Lett. 31, 346 (1977).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richter, A., Glunz, S.W., Werner, F., Schmidt, J., and Cuevas, A.: Improved quantitative description of Auger recombination in crystalline silicon. Phys. Rev. B 86, 165202 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Higasa, M., Nagai, Y., Nakagawa, S., and Kasima, K.: Effect of low carbon concentration on bulk carrier lifetime in MCZ silicon crystal. In Abstract of the 75th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics, 20a-A20-3 (Sapporo, Japan, 2014).Google Scholar
Arafune, K., Sasaki, T., Wakabayashi, F., Terada, Y., Ohshita, Y., and Yamaguchi, M.: Study on defects and impurities in cast-grown polycrystalline silicon substrates for solar cells. Phys. B 376–377, 236 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arafune, K., Ohishi, E., Sai, H., Ohshita, Y., and Yamaguchi, M.: Directional solidification of polycrystalline silicon ingots by successive relaxation of supercooling method. J. Cryst. Growth 308, 5 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osaka, J., Inoue, N., and Wada, K.: Homogeneous nucleation of oxide precipitates in Czochralski-grown silicon. Appl. Phys. Lett. 36, 288 (1980).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kishino, S., Matsushita, Y., Kanamori, M., and Iizuka, T.: Thermally induced microdefects in Czochralski-grown silicon: Nucleation and growth behavior. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 21, 1 (1982).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shinoyama, S., Hasebe, M., and Yamauchi, T.: Defect formation in the cooling process after CZ-Si growth. Oyo Buturi 60, 766 (1991). (in Japanese).Google Scholar
Kakimoto, K., Miyamura, Y., Harada, H., and Nakano, S.: Crystal growth of CZ-Si and relationship between carrier lifetime and defects. In Extended Abstracts of the 2017 International Conference on Solid State Devices and Materials (Sendai, Japan, September 19–22, 2017); p. 119.Google Scholar
Masada, I.: Optimization of Solar Cell Material Quality and Characterization of Crystalline Defects in Si: NEDO 2017 Symposium P4–7 (Yokohama, Japan, September 22, 2017).Google Scholar