Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 920-928 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Publication status | Published - 17 Jun 2016 |
Abstract
We measure carrier lifetimes of different Czochralski-grown silicon (Cz-Si) materials of various boron and oxygen concentrations and determine the maximum achievable lifetime after an optimized thermal treatment. We obtain very high and stable bulk lifetimes of several milliseconds, virtually eliminating the boron–oxygen (BO) defect complex, which previously limited the carrier lifetime in boron-doped Cz-Si materials after prolonged illumination. Based on these experimental results, we introduce a new parameterization of the bulk lifetime of B-doped Cz-Si after permanent deactivation of the BO center. Notably, we measure lifetimes up to 4 ms on 2-Ωcm Cz-Si wafers at an injection level of 1/10 of the doping concentration. Importantly, these high lifetime values can be reached within 10 and 20 s of BO deactivation treatment. A detailed analysis of the injection-dependent lifetimes reveals that the lifetimes after permanent deactivation of the BO center can be well described by a single-level recombination center characterized by an electron-to-hole capture cross-section ratio of 12 and located in the middle of the silicon band gap. We implement the novel parameterization into a two-dimensional device simulation of a passivated emitter and rear solar cell using technologically realistic cell parameters. The simulation reveals that based on current state-of-the-art solar cell production technology, efficiencies reaching 22.1% are realistically achievable in the near future after complete deactivation of the BO center.
Keywords
- Czochralski–silicon, PERC, boron–oxygen defect, lifetime, permanent recovery, silicon
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Materials Science(all)
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Energy(all)
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Engineering(all)
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Vol. 24, No. 7, 17.06.2016, p. 920-928.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Realistic efficiency potential of next-generation industrial Czochralski-grown silicon solar cells after deactivation of the boron-oxygen-related defect center
AU - Walter, Dominic C.
AU - Lim, Bianca
AU - Schmidt, Jan
N1 - This work was funded by the German State of Lower Saxony and the German Federal Ministry for Economics and Energy and by industry partners within the research project ‘SolarLife’ (contract no. 0325763C). The content is the responsibility of the authors.
PY - 2016/6/17
Y1 - 2016/6/17
N2 - We measure carrier lifetimes of different Czochralski-grown silicon (Cz-Si) materials of various boron and oxygen concentrations and determine the maximum achievable lifetime after an optimized thermal treatment. We obtain very high and stable bulk lifetimes of several milliseconds, virtually eliminating the boron–oxygen (BO) defect complex, which previously limited the carrier lifetime in boron-doped Cz-Si materials after prolonged illumination. Based on these experimental results, we introduce a new parameterization of the bulk lifetime of B-doped Cz-Si after permanent deactivation of the BO center. Notably, we measure lifetimes up to 4 ms on 2-Ωcm Cz-Si wafers at an injection level of 1/10 of the doping concentration. Importantly, these high lifetime values can be reached within 10 and 20 s of BO deactivation treatment. A detailed analysis of the injection-dependent lifetimes reveals that the lifetimes after permanent deactivation of the BO center can be well described by a single-level recombination center characterized by an electron-to-hole capture cross-section ratio of 12 and located in the middle of the silicon band gap. We implement the novel parameterization into a two-dimensional device simulation of a passivated emitter and rear solar cell using technologically realistic cell parameters. The simulation reveals that based on current state-of-the-art solar cell production technology, efficiencies reaching 22.1% are realistically achievable in the near future after complete deactivation of the BO center.
AB - We measure carrier lifetimes of different Czochralski-grown silicon (Cz-Si) materials of various boron and oxygen concentrations and determine the maximum achievable lifetime after an optimized thermal treatment. We obtain very high and stable bulk lifetimes of several milliseconds, virtually eliminating the boron–oxygen (BO) defect complex, which previously limited the carrier lifetime in boron-doped Cz-Si materials after prolonged illumination. Based on these experimental results, we introduce a new parameterization of the bulk lifetime of B-doped Cz-Si after permanent deactivation of the BO center. Notably, we measure lifetimes up to 4 ms on 2-Ωcm Cz-Si wafers at an injection level of 1/10 of the doping concentration. Importantly, these high lifetime values can be reached within 10 and 20 s of BO deactivation treatment. A detailed analysis of the injection-dependent lifetimes reveals that the lifetimes after permanent deactivation of the BO center can be well described by a single-level recombination center characterized by an electron-to-hole capture cross-section ratio of 12 and located in the middle of the silicon band gap. We implement the novel parameterization into a two-dimensional device simulation of a passivated emitter and rear solar cell using technologically realistic cell parameters. The simulation reveals that based on current state-of-the-art solar cell production technology, efficiencies reaching 22.1% are realistically achievable in the near future after complete deactivation of the BO center.
KW - Czochralski–silicon
KW - PERC
KW - boron–oxygen defect
KW - lifetime
KW - permanent recovery
KW - silicon
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84975275025&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/pip.2731
DO - 10.1002/pip.2731
M3 - Article
VL - 24
SP - 920
EP - 928
JO - Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications
JF - Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications
SN - 1062-7995
IS - 7
ER -