Efficient metal contact formation is pivotal for the production of cost-effective, high-performance crystalline silicon (Si) solar cells. Traditionally, screen-printed silver (Ag) contacts on the front surface have dominated the industry owing to their simplicity, high throughput, and significant electrical benefits.
THEORY The contact quality of metal-semiconductor (MS) can influence the solar cell’s performance dramatically. 15 Hence it should be investigated carefully to attain the best possible design for a device. While NiO is p-type, the main focus has been on contacts between metals and this type of semiconductor.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore alternative, economically viable metals compatible with silicon substrates. This study reports on the application of a contact stack consisting of Ag, nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu) in Si solar cells.
Abstract Efficient metal contact formation is pivotal for the production of cost-effective, high-performance crystalline silicon (Si) solar cells. Traditionally, screen-printed silver (Ag) contacts...
Along with improving the passivation at the non-metallized surfaces, reduced recombination under metal contacts is also necessary to achieve high open circuit voltages ( Voc) at the cell level. Recombination at the metal-semiconductor contacts is currently the limiting factor in achieving Voc > 700 mV on homojunction silicon wafer solar cells .
This study reports on the application of a contact stack consisting of Ag, nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu) in Si solar cells. To prevent Schottky contact formation, Ag is implemented as a seed layer, whereas Ni and Cu form the metal bulk layer.