• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.22-26
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• 1983

P+N and P+NN+ solar cells with the area of 3.36 $\textrm{cm}^2$ were fabricated by thermal diffusion. Under the light intensity of 100 mW/$\textrm{cm}^2$, total area(active area) conversion efficiency was 13.4%(14.7%) for P+N cell fabricated by 15 min boron predeposition at 94$0^{\circ}C$ and 20 min annealing at 80$0^{\circ}C$, and 14.3%(15.6%) for P+NN+ cell processed by 15 min boron predeposition at 94$0^{\circ}C$ and 50 min annealing at 80$0^{\circ}C$ after 20 min back phosphorus diffusion at 1,05$0^{\circ}C$. The minority carrier lifetime in bulk of P+NN+ cells was increased about 2~3 times comparing with P+N cells because of guttering and BSF effect due to back phosphorus doping. The methods used for efficiency improvement were AR coating, Ag electroplating, back doping and fine grid pattern as well as the control of front doping profile.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.301-311
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• 2012

Discharge property of plasma jet devices is investigated for the application to the doping processes of crystalline solar cells and others. Current-voltage characteristics are shown as the typical normal-glow discharge in the various gas pressure of plasma jets, such as in the atmospheric plasma jets of Ar-discharge, in the ambient pressure of atmospheric discharge, and in the ambient Ar-pressure of Ar-discharge. The discharge voltage of atmospheric plasma jet is required as low as about 2.5 kV while the operation voltage of low pressure below 200 Torr is low as about 1 kV in the discharge of atmospheric and Ar plasma jets. With a single channel plasma jet, the irradiated plasma current on the doped silicon wafer is obtained high as the range of 10~50 mA. The temperature increasement of wafer is normally about $200^{\circ}C$. In the result of silicon wafers doped by phosphoric acid with irradiating the plasma jets, the doping profiles of phosphorus atoms shows the possibility of plasma jet doping on solar cells.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.573-579
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• 2011

Highly textured Ag, Al and Al:Si back reflectors for flexible n-i-p silicon thin-film solar cells were prepared on 100-${\mu}m$-thick stainless steel substrates by DC magnetron sputtering and the influence of their surface textures on the light-scattering properties were investigated. The surface texture of the metal back reflectors was influenced by the increased grain size and by the bimodal distribution that arose due to the abnormal grain growth at elevated deposition temperatures. This can be explained by the structure zone model (SZM). With an increase in the deposition temperatures from room temperature to $500^{\circ}C$, the surface roughness of the Al:Si films increased from 11 nm to 95 nm, whereas that of the pure Ag films increased from 6 nm to 47 nm at the same deposition temperature. Although Al:Si back reflectors with larger surface feature dimensions than pure Ag can be fabricated at lower deposition temperatures due to the lower melting point and the Si impurity drag effect, they show poor total and diffuse reflectance, resulting from the low reflectivity and reflection loss on the textured surface. For a further improvement of the light-trapping efficiency in solar cells, a new type of back reflector consisting of Ag/Al:Si bilayer is suggested. The surface morphology and reflectance of this reflector are closely dependent on the Al:Si bottom layer and the Ag top layer. The relationship between the surface topography and the light-scattering properties of the bilayer back reflectors is also reported in this paper.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.173-176
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• 2014

We have investigated the seed layer formation of front side contact using the inkjet printing process. Conductive silver ink was printed on textured Si wafers with 80 nm thick $SiN_x$ anti reflection coating (ARC) layers and thickened by light induced plating (LIP). The inkjet printable sliver inks were specifically formulated for inkjet printing on these substrates. Also, a novel method to prepare nano-sized glass frits by the sol-gel process with particle sizes around 5 nm is presented. Furthermore, dispersion stability of the formulated ink was measured using a Turbiscan. By implementing these glass frits, it was found that a continuous and uniform seed layer with a line width of $40{\mu}m$ could be formed by a inkjet printing process. We also investigated the contact resistance between the front contact and emitter using the transfer length model (TLM). On an emitter with the sheet resistance of $60{\Omega}/sq$, a specific contact resistance (${\rho}_c$) below $10m{\Omega}{\cdot}cm^2$ could be achieved at a peak firing temperature around $700^{\circ}C$. In addition, the correlation between the contact resistance and interface microstructures were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We found that the added glass particles act as a very effective fire through agent, and Ag crystallites are formed along the interface glass layer.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.163-166
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• 2009

다중접합 초 고효율 태양전지 제조를 위해 SiC 매트릭스를 이용한 실리콘 양자점 초격자 박막을 제조하고 특성을 분석하였다. $SiC/Si_{1-x}C_x$(x ~ 0.31)로 실리콘 양자점 초격자 박막을 Si과 C target을 이용한 co-sputtering법으로 초격자 박막을 제조하고, $1000^{\circ}C$에서 20분간 열처리를 하였다. high resolution transmission electron microscopy 사진으로 약1~7nm 크기인 양자점 생성과 분포 밀도를 확인할 수 있었으며, grazing incident X-ray diffraction (GIXRD)를 통해서 Si(111)과 $\beta$-SiC(111)이 생성되었음을 알 수 있었다. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES)측정에서 stoichiometric SiC층과 Si-rich SiC층의 Si 원자농도 (56%, 69%)와 C 원자 농도 (44%, 31%)를 알 수 있었으며, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR)측정에서 SiC 픽의 위치가 767에서 $800cm^{-1}$으로 이동하는 것을 알 수 있었다.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2001.07c
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• pp.1427-1429
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• 2001

Polycrystalline silicon(poly-Si) films are deposited on low temperature glass substrate by Hot-Wire CVD(HWCVD). The structural properties of the poly-Si films are strongly dependent on the wire temperature($T_w$). The films deposited at high $T_w$ of 2000$^{\circ}C$ have superior crystalline properties; average lateral grain sizes are larger than $1{\mu}m$ and there at·e no vertical grain boundaries. The surface of the high $T_w$ samples are naturally textured like pyramid shape. These large grain size and textured surface are believed to give high current density when applied to solar cells. However, the poly-si films are structurally porous and contains high defect density, by which high concentration of C and O resulted within the films by air-penetration after removed from chamber.

• Solar Energy
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.3-11
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• 1997

Because grain boundaries in polycrystalline silicon act as potential barriers and recombination centers for the photo-generated charge carriers, these defects degrade conversion effiency of solar cell. To reduce these effects of grain boundaries, we investigated various influencing factors such as thermal treatment, various grid pattern, selective wet etching for grain boundaries, buried contact metallization along grain boundaries, grid on metallic thin film. Pretreatment above $900^{\circ}C$ in $N_2$ atmosphere, gettering by $POCl_3$ and Al treatment for back surface field contributed to obtain a high quality poly-Si. To prevent carrier losses at the grain boundaries, we carried out surface treatment using Schimmel etchant. This etchant delineated grain boundaries of $10{\mu}m$ depth as well as surface texturing effect. A metal AI diffusion into grain boundaries on rear side reduced back surface recombination effects at grain boundaries. A combination of fine grid with finger spacing of 0.4mm and buried electrode along grain boundaries improved short circuit current density of solar cell. A ultra-thin Chromium layer of 20nm with transmittance of 80% reduced series resistance. This paper focused on the grain boundary effect for terrestrial applications of solar cells with low cost, large area, and high efficiency.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.378-381
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• 2008

고효율 a-Si:H/c-Si 이종접합 태양전지를 얻기 위해서는 우수한 c-Si wafer 위에 고품질의 비정질 실리콘박막을 통한 heterointerface를 형성하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 이를 달성하기 위해서는 공정중에 오염되기 쉬운 Si wafer 표면 상태를 정확히 검사하고 잘 관리하여야 한다. 본 연구에서는 세정 및 표면산화에 따른 Si wafer 상태를 Spectroscopic Ellipsometry 및 u-PCD를 이용하여 분석하였으며, <$\varepsilon$2> @4.25eV 값이 Si wafer 상태를 잘 나타내고 있음을 확인하였고 세정 최적화 할 경우 그 값이 43.02에 도달하였다. 또한 RF-PECVD로 증착된a-Si:H 박막을 EMA 모델링을 통해 분석한 결과 낮은 결정성과 높은 밀도를 가지는 a-Si:H를 얻을 수 있었으며, 이를 이종접합 태양전지에 적용한 결과 Flat wafer상에서 10.88%, textured wafer 적용하여 13.23%의 변환효율을 얻었다. 결론적으로 Spectroscopic Ellipsometry가 매우 얇고 고품질의 다층 박막이 필요한 이종접합 태양전지 분석에 있어 매우 유용한 방법임이 확인되었다.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.95-95
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• 2009

실리콘 이종접합 태양전지는 비정질 실리콘을 사용하여 p-n 접합을 만들기 때문에 결정질 태양전지에 비해 개방전압이 높은 특성을 보인다. 그렇지만 결정질 태양전지는 접합을 확산공정으로 만들어 p층과 n층의 계면에서 결함이 존재하지 않는 반면 이종접합 태양전지는 결정질 실리콘 표면에 접합을 만들기 때문에 결정질 실리콘의 표면에 defect이 존재할 가능성이 많아진다. 이번 실험에서 결정질 실리콘의 cleaning 조건 변화에 따른 이종접합 태양전지의 특성변화를 보았다. 실리콘 이종접합 태양전지는 전면전극/ITO/p a-Si:H/i a-Si:H/n c-Si/i a-Si:H/n a-Si:H/후면전극의 구조로 만들으며 p형 및 n형 비정질 실리콘은 PECVD를 이용하여 증착하였고 i형 비정질 실리콘은 HWCVD를 이용하여 증착하였다. 만들어진 태양전지의 특성을 평가하기 위해 암전류 특성, 광전류 특성, 양자효율, 소수반송자수명을 측정하였다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.179.1-179.1
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• 2014

Si nanowires have exhibited unique optical characteristics, including nano-antenna effects due to the guided mode resonance, significant optical absorption enhancement in wide wavelength and incident angle range due to resonant optical modes, graded refractive index, and scattering. Since Si poor optical absorption coefficient due to indirect bandgap, all such properties have stimulated proposal of new optoelectronic devices whose performance can surpass that of conventional planar devices. We have carried out finite-difference time-domain simulation studies to design optimal Si nanowire array for solar cell applications. Optical reflectance, transmission, and absorption can be calculated for nanowire arrays with various diameter, length, and period. From the absorption, maximum achievable photocurrent can be estimated. In real devices, serious recombination loss occurring at the surface states is known to limit the photovoltaic performance of the nanowire-based solar cells. In order to address such issue, we will discuss how the geometric parameters of the array can influence the spatial distribution of the optical field (resulting optical generation rate) in the nanowires.