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Lifetime instabilities in gallium doped monocrystalline PERC silicon solar cells

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Grant, Nicholas E., Scowcroft, Jennifer R., Pointon, A. I., Al-Amin, Mohammad, Altermatt, Pietro P. and Murphy, John D. (2020) Lifetime instabilities in gallium doped monocrystalline PERC silicon solar cells. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 206 . 110299. doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2019.110299 ISSN 0927-0248.

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2019.110299

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Abstract

Gallium doped silicon is an industrially viable alternative to boron doped silicon for photovoltaics, and is assumed to be immune from light-induced degradation. We have studied light soaking for >1000 h of industrially fabricated passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) devices formed from monocrystalline gallium and boron doped substrates, with cell properties monitored using a non-contact photoluminescence imaging proxy method. As-fabricated stabilised boron doped cells did not degrade or underwent a slight improvement, whereas as-fabricated gallium doped cells which had not been intentionally stabilised experienced a slight (~5%) deterioration which then recovered. When PERC devices were subjected to a 200–300 °C dark anneal before light soaking, significant differences in the cell degradation signatures were observed. Degradation characteristic of light and elevated temperature induced degradation (LeTID) was observed for boron and gallium PERC solar cells, with the onset of degradation taking longer, and the severity being less, with gallium. Investigation of stripped gallium PERC devices with room temperature surface passivation revealed bulk lifetime degradation correlates with the cell-level degradation. When the cells were stripped and passivated with aluminium oxide, a complete change in the degradation behaviour was observed, with no degradation occurring in the gallium case and boron-oxygen-like degradation observed for boron. This indicates that dielectric passivation is not suitable for lifetime degradation diagnosis in stripped cells. Gallium retains advantages over boron doping with stabilisation processes not generally required, but manufacturers need to be aware of possible low-temperature lifetime instabilities when developing future fabrication processes, such as for passivated contact structures.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
Divisions: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Engineering > Engineering
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Engineering > WMG (Formerly the Warwick Manufacturing Group)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Semiconductors -- Materials, Gallium nitride -- Electric properties, Solar cells -- Design and construction, Gallium -- Synthesis, Silicon solar cells, Direct energy conversion -- Research
Journal or Publication Title: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
Publisher: Elsevier Science BV
ISSN: 0927-0248
Official Date: March 2020
Dates:
DateEvent
March 2020Published
22 November 2019Available
14 November 2019Accepted
Volume: 206
Article Number: 110299
DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2019.110299
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Open Access (Creative Commons)
Date of first compliant deposit: 24 February 2020
Date of first compliant Open Access: 24 February 2020
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant:
Project/Grant IDRIOXX Funder NameFunder ID
EP/M024911/1[EPSRC] Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Councilhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000266
EP/R511808/1[EPSRC] Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Councilhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000266
EP/J01768X/2[EPSRC] Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Councilhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000266
EP/N509796/1[EPSRC] Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Councilhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000266
Is Part Of: 1
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