• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.107-112
• /
• 2017

The BCBJ (Back Contact and Back Junction) or back-lit solar cell design eliminates shading loss by placing the pn junction and metal electrode contacts all on one side that faces away from the sun. However, as the electron-hole generation sites now are located very far from the pn junction, loss by minority-carrier recombination can be a significant issue. Utilizing Medici, a 2-dimensional semiconductor device simulation tool, the interdependency between the substrate thickness and the minority-carrier recombination lifetime was studied in terms of how these factors affect the solar cell power output. Qualitatively speaking, the results indicate that a very high quality substrate with a long recombination lifetime is needed to maintain the maximum power generation. The quantitative value of the recombination lifetime of minority-carriers, i.e., electrons in p-type substrates, required in the BCBJ cell is about one order of magnitude longer than that in the front-lit cell, i.e., $5{\times}10^{-4}sec$ vs. $5{\times}10^{-5}sec$. Regardless of substrate thickness up to $150{\mu}m$, the power output in the BCBJ cell stays at nearly the maximum value of about $1.8{\times}10^{-2}W{\cdot}cm^{-2}$, or $18mW{\cdot}cm^{-2}$, as long as the recombination lifetime is $5{\times}10^{-4}s$ or longer. The output power, however, declines steeply to as low as $10mW{\cdot}cm^{-2}$ when the recombination lifetime becomes significantly shorter than $5{\times}10^{-4}sec$. Substrate thinning is found to be not as effective as in the front-lit case in stemming the decline in the output power. In view of these results, for BCBJ applications, the substrate needs to be only mono-crystalline Si of very high quality. This bars the use of poly-crystalline Si, which is gaining wider acceptance in standard front-lit solar cells.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.25 no.9
• /
• pp.487-491
• /
• 2015

In photovoltaic power generation where minority carrier generation via light absorption is competing against minority carrier recombination, the substrate thickness and material quality are interdependent, and appropriate combination of the two variables is important in obtaining the maximum output power generation. Medici, a two-dimensional semiconductor device simulation tool, is used to investigate the interdependency in relation to the maximum power output in front-lit Si solar cells. Qualitatively, the results indicate that a high quality substrate must be thick and that a low quality substrate must be thin in order to achieve the maximum power generation in the respective materials. The dividing point is $70{\mu}m/5{\times}10^{-6}sec$. That is, for materials with a minority carrier recombination lifetime longer than $5{\times}10^{-6}sec$, the substrate must be thicker than $70{\mu}m$, while for materials with a lifetime shorter than $5{\times}10^{-6}sec$, the substrate must be thinner than $70{\mu}m$. In substrate fabrication, the thinner the wafer, the lower the cost of material, but the higher the cost of wafer fabrication. Thus, the optimum thickness/lifetime combinations are defined in this study along with the substrate cost considerations as part of the factors to be considered in material selection.

• Proceedings of the Korea Association of Crystal Growth Conference
• /
• 1997.10a
• /
• pp.155-159
• /
• 1997

We investigated the effect of mechanical backside damage in Czochralski silicon wafer. The intensity of mechanical damage were evaluated by minority carrier recombination lifetime by a laser excitation/microwave reflection photoconductance decay method, photo-acoustic displacement method, X-ray section topography, and wet oxidation/preferential etch methods. The data indicate that the higher the mechanical damage intensity, the lower the minority carrier lifetime, and the photoacoustic displacement values are also increased proportionally.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
• /
• v.6 no.6
• /
• pp.280-283
• /
• 2005

The moving photocarrier grating (MPG) technique for the determination of the carrier mobilities and the recombination lifetime of $\alpha$-Se:As films has been studied. The electron and hole drift mobility and the recombination lifetime of $\alpha$-Se films with arsenic (As) additions have been obtained from measurement of the short circuit current density $j_{sc}$ as a function of grating velocity and spatial period. The hole mobility decreases due to defect density of hole traps when x exceeds 0.003, whereas the hole mobility increases for the case of low As addition (x$\le$0.003). We have found an increase in hole drift mobility and recombination lifetime, especially when As with (x = 0.003) is added into the $\alpha$-Se film.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2005.11a
• /
• pp.252-253
• /
• 2005

The effects of As addition in amorphous selenium (a-Se) films on the carrier mobilities and the recombination lifetime have been studied using the moving photo-carrier grating (MPG) measurements. The electron and hole mobility, and recombination lifetime of a-Se films with arsenic (As) additions up to 1% have been obtained. We have found an increase in hole drift mobility and recombination lifetime, especially when 0.3% As is added into a-Se film, whereas electron mobility decreases with As addition due to the defect density from shallow traps.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.408-413
• /
• 1995

We investigated the effect of mechanical backside damage upon minority carrier recombination lifetime measurement in Czochralski silicon substrate by laser excitation/microwave reflection photoconductance decay method. The intensity of mechanical damage was evaluated by X-ray double crystal rocking curve, X-ray section topography and wet oxidation/preferential etch methods. The data indicate that the higher the mechanical damage intensity, the lower the minority carrier lifetime, and the threshold full width at half maximum value which affect minority carrier lifetime measurement is about 13 secs.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.27-34
• /
• 1999

We investigated the effect of mechanical back side damage in viewpoint of electrical and surface morphological characteristics in Czochralski silicon wafer. The intensity of mechanical damage was evaluated by minority carrier recombination lifetime by laser excitation/microwave reflection photoconductance decay technique, atomic force microscope, optical microscope, wet oxidation/preferential etching methods. The data indicate that the higher the mechanical damage degree, the lower the minority carrier lifetime, and surface roughness, damage depth and density of oxidation induced stacking fault increased proportionally.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2005.11a
• /
• pp.47-48
• /
• 2005

The moving photocarrier grating(MPG) technique for the determination of the carrier mobilities and the recombination lifetime in a-Se:As films have been studied. The electron and hole drift mobility and the recombination lifetime of a-Se films with arsenic (As) additions have been obtained. We have found an increase in hole drift mobility and recombination lifetime, especially when 0.3% As is added into a-Se film. However, the electron mobility exhibits no observable change up to 0.5% As addition in a-Se films.0.3% As added a-Se film also exhibits the maximum short circuit current densities per laser intensity of $5.29\times10^{-7}$ A/W.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2006.04a
• /
• pp.85-88
• /
• 2006

The transport properties of amorphous selenium typical of the material used in direct conversion x-ray imaging devices are reported. The effects of As addition on the carrier mobility and recombination lifetime in amorphous selenium (a-Se) films have been studied using the moving photocarrier grating (MPG) technique. We have found an increase in hole drift mobility and recombination lifetime, especially when 0.3% As is added into a-Se film, whereas electron mobility decreases with As addition due to the defect density. The transport properties for As doped a-Se films obtained by using MPG technique have been compared with the drift mobilities of holes and electrons obtained by time of flight (TOF) measurement.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.111-115
• /
• 2015

To improve the efficiency of the Si solar cell, high minority carrier life time is required. Therefore, the passivation technology is important to eliminate point defects on the silicon surface, causing the loss of minority carrier recombination. PECVD or post-annealing of thermally-grown $SiO_2$ is commonly used to form the passivation layer, but a high-temperature process and low thermal stability is a critical factor of low minority carrier lifetime. In this study, atomic layer deposition was used to grow the $Al_2O_3$ passivation layer at low temperature process. $Al_2O_3$ was selected as a passivation layer which has a low surface recombination velocity because of the fixed charge density. For the high charge density, an improved minority carrier lifetime, and a low surface recombination, nitrogen was doped in the $Al_2O_3$ thin film and the improvement of passivation was studied.