Impact of light-induced recombination centres on the current - voltage characteristic of Czochralski silicon solar cells

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

External Research Organisations

  • University of Stuttgart
  • Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE)
  • Australian National University
View graph of relations

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)249-255
Number of pages7
JournalProgress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications
Volume9
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - 18 Jul 2001
Externally publishedYes

Abstract

We have investigated the effect of the light-induced deep-level recombination centre specific to boron-doped, oxygen-contaminated Czochralski (Cz) silicon on the current-voltage characteristic of Cz silicon solar cells by means of numerical simulation and experiment. The device simulation predicts the occurrence of a shoulder in the current-voltage curve after activating the characteristic recombination centre. The physical reason for the non-ideal diode behaviour, characterised by a local ideality factor greater unity, is the strongly injection-level-dependent bulk lifetime produced by the deep-level centre. The increased ideality factor causes a degradation in fill factor with the magnitude of degradation depending on the doping concentration of the Cz silicon base. In order to verify the theoretical predictions experimentally, we have performed measurements on high-efficiency Cz silicon solar cells. Current-voltage curves recorded before and after light degradation clearly show the theoretically predicted change in shape and the reduction in fill factor. An excellent quantitative agreement between calculation and experiment is obtained for the subtracted current-voltage curves measured after and before illumination.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Sustainable Development Goals

Cite this

Impact of light-induced recombination centres on the current - voltage characteristic of Czochralski silicon solar cells. / Schmidt, Jan; Cuevas, Andrs; Rein, Stefan et al.
In: Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Vol. 9, No. 4, 18.07.2001, p. 249-255.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Download
@article{7d59979c4c0047f6a8986bd76e3fb659,
title = "Impact of light-induced recombination centres on the current - voltage characteristic of Czochralski silicon solar cells",
abstract = "We have investigated the effect of the light-induced deep-level recombination centre specific to boron-doped, oxygen-contaminated Czochralski (Cz) silicon on the current-voltage characteristic of Cz silicon solar cells by means of numerical simulation and experiment. The device simulation predicts the occurrence of a shoulder in the current-voltage curve after activating the characteristic recombination centre. The physical reason for the non-ideal diode behaviour, characterised by a local ideality factor greater unity, is the strongly injection-level-dependent bulk lifetime produced by the deep-level centre. The increased ideality factor causes a degradation in fill factor with the magnitude of degradation depending on the doping concentration of the Cz silicon base. In order to verify the theoretical predictions experimentally, we have performed measurements on high-efficiency Cz silicon solar cells. Current-voltage curves recorded before and after light degradation clearly show the theoretically predicted change in shape and the reduction in fill factor. An excellent quantitative agreement between calculation and experiment is obtained for the subtracted current-voltage curves measured after and before illumination.",
author = "Jan Schmidt and Andrs Cuevas and Stefan Rein and Glunz, {Stefan W.}",
year = "2001",
month = jul,
day = "18",
doi = "10.1002/pip.373",
language = "English",
volume = "9",
pages = "249--255",
journal = "Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications",
issn = "1062-7995",
publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Ltd",
number = "4",

}

Download

TY - JOUR

T1 - Impact of light-induced recombination centres on the current - voltage characteristic of Czochralski silicon solar cells

AU - Schmidt, Jan

AU - Cuevas, Andrs

AU - Rein, Stefan

AU - Glunz, Stefan W.

PY - 2001/7/18

Y1 - 2001/7/18

N2 - We have investigated the effect of the light-induced deep-level recombination centre specific to boron-doped, oxygen-contaminated Czochralski (Cz) silicon on the current-voltage characteristic of Cz silicon solar cells by means of numerical simulation and experiment. The device simulation predicts the occurrence of a shoulder in the current-voltage curve after activating the characteristic recombination centre. The physical reason for the non-ideal diode behaviour, characterised by a local ideality factor greater unity, is the strongly injection-level-dependent bulk lifetime produced by the deep-level centre. The increased ideality factor causes a degradation in fill factor with the magnitude of degradation depending on the doping concentration of the Cz silicon base. In order to verify the theoretical predictions experimentally, we have performed measurements on high-efficiency Cz silicon solar cells. Current-voltage curves recorded before and after light degradation clearly show the theoretically predicted change in shape and the reduction in fill factor. An excellent quantitative agreement between calculation and experiment is obtained for the subtracted current-voltage curves measured after and before illumination.

AB - We have investigated the effect of the light-induced deep-level recombination centre specific to boron-doped, oxygen-contaminated Czochralski (Cz) silicon on the current-voltage characteristic of Cz silicon solar cells by means of numerical simulation and experiment. The device simulation predicts the occurrence of a shoulder in the current-voltage curve after activating the characteristic recombination centre. The physical reason for the non-ideal diode behaviour, characterised by a local ideality factor greater unity, is the strongly injection-level-dependent bulk lifetime produced by the deep-level centre. The increased ideality factor causes a degradation in fill factor with the magnitude of degradation depending on the doping concentration of the Cz silicon base. In order to verify the theoretical predictions experimentally, we have performed measurements on high-efficiency Cz silicon solar cells. Current-voltage curves recorded before and after light degradation clearly show the theoretically predicted change in shape and the reduction in fill factor. An excellent quantitative agreement between calculation and experiment is obtained for the subtracted current-voltage curves measured after and before illumination.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0035389734&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/pip.373

DO - 10.1002/pip.373

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:0035389734

VL - 9

SP - 249

EP - 255

JO - Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications

JF - Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications

SN - 1062-7995

IS - 4

ER -

By the same author(s)