• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.438-438
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• 2009

We have investigated the effect of forming gas annealing for Upgraded Metallurgical Grade (UMG)-silicon solar cell in order to obtain low-cost high-efficiency cell using post deposition anneal at a relatively low temperature. We have observed that high concentration hydrogenation effectively passivated the defects and improved the minority carrier lifetime, series resistance and conversion efficiency. It can be attributed to significantly improved hydrogen-passivation in high concentration hydrogen process. This improvement can be explained by the enhanced passivation of silicon solar cell with antireflection layer due to hydrogen re-incorporation. The results of this experiment represent a promising guideline for improving the high-efficiency solar cells by introducing an easy and low cost process of post hydrogenation in optimized condition.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.109-109
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• 2006

Screen printing (SP) metal contact is typically applied to the solar cells for mass production. However, SP metal contact has low aspect ratio, low accuracy, hard control of the substrate penetration and unclean process. On the other hand, photo lithograpy (PL) metal contact can reduce defects by metal contact. In this investigation, PL metal contact was obtained the multi-layer structure of Ti/Pd/Ag by e-beam process. We applied SP metal contact and PL metal contact to single crystalline silicon solar cells, and demonstrated the difference of conversion efficiency. Because PL metal contact silicon solar cell has Jsc (short circuit current density) better than silicon solar cell applied SP metal contact.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.45-49
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• 2015

Using a combined CVD and ALD equipment system, multi-layer quantum well structures of $Al_2O_3/a-Si/Al_2O_3$ were fabricated on silicon Schottky junction devices and implemented to quantum well solar cells, in which the 1~1.5 nm thicknesses of the aluminum oxide films and the a-Si thin film layers were deposited at $300^{\circ}C$ and $450^{\circ}C$, respectively. Fabricated solar cell was operated by tunneling phenomena through the inserted quantum well structure being generated electrons on the silicon surface. Efficiency of the fabricated solar cell inserted with multi-quantum well of 41 layers has been increased by about 10 times that of the solar cell of pure Schottky junction solar cell.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.214-219
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• 2009

In high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells, If high-efficiency solar cells are to be commercialized. It is need to develop superior contact formation method and material that can be inexpensive and simple without degradation of the solar cells ability. For reason of plated metallic contact is not only high metallic purity but also inexpensive manufacture. It is available to apply mass production. Especially, Nickel, Copper and Silver are applied widely in various electronic manufactures as easily formation is available by plating. The metallic contact system of silicon solar cell must have several properties, such as low contact resistance, easy application and good adhesion. Ni is shown to be a suitable barrier to Cu diffusion as well as desirable contact metal to silicon. Nickel monosilicide(NiSi) has been suggested as a suitable silicide due to its lower resistivity, lower sintering temperature and lower layer stress than $TiSi_2$. Copper and Silver can be plated by electro & light-induced plating method. Light-induced plating makes use the photovoltaic effect of solar cell to deposite the metal on the front contact. The cell is immersed into the electrolytic plating bath and irradiated at the front side by light source, which leads to a current density in the front side grid. Electroless plated Ni/ Electro&light-induced plated Cu/ Light-induced plated Ag contact solar cells result in an energy conversion efficiency of 14.68 % on $0.2{\sim}0.6{\Omega}{\cdot}cm,\;20{\times}20mm^2$, CZ(Czochralski) wafer.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.192-193
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• 2007

An evaporated Ti/Pd/Ag contact system is most widely used to make high-efficiency silicon solar cells, however, the system is not cost effective due to expensive materials and vacuum techniques. Commercial solar cells with screen-printed contacts formed by using Ag paste suffer from a low fill factor and a high shading loss because of high contact resistance and low aspect ratio. Low-cost Ni and Cu metal contacts have been formed by using electro less plating and electroplating techniques to replace the Ti/Pd/Ag and screen-printed Ag contacts. Ni/Cu alloy is plated on a silicon substrate by electro-deposition of the alloy from an acetate electrolyte solution, and nickel-silicide formation at the interface between the silicon and the nickel enhances stability and reduces the contact resistance. It was, therefore, found that nickel-silicide was suitable for high-efficiency solar cell applications. Cu was electroplated on the Ni layer by using a light induced plating method. The Cu electroplating solution was made up of a commercially available acid sulfate bath and additives to reduce the stress of the copper layer. In this paper, we investigated low-cost Ni/Cu contact formation by electro less and electroplating for crystalline silicon solar cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.272-272
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• 2009

Screen-printing metal contact is typically applied to the solar cells for mass production. And metal paste is used widely for rear contact formation of silicon solar cells. However, Screen-printing solar cell metal paste contact has low aspect ratio, low accuracy, high resistivity, hard control of unclean process. In this paper is to develop resistivity of rear contact for silicon solar cells applications. 4-point prove result, This resistivity of rear contact by Al evaporation was measured about $3.56{\times}10^6{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$ less than screen printed solar cell about $52.6{\times}10^6{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2002.05b
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• pp.66-69
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• 2002

This paper presents deposition and characterizations of microcrystalline silicon$({\mu}c-Si:H)$ films prepared by hot wire chemical vapor deposition at substrate temperature below $300^{\circ}C$. The $SiH_{4}$ concentration$[F(SiH_{4})/F(SiH_{4})+F(H_{2})]$ is critical parameter for the formation of Si films with microcrystalline phase. At 6% of silane concentration, deposited intrinsic ${\mu}c-Si:H$ films shows sufficiently low dark conductivity and high photo sensitivity for solar cell applications. P-type ${\mu}c-Si:H$ films deposited by Hot-Wire CVD also shows good electrical properties by varying the rate of $B_{2}H_{6}$ to $SiH_{4}$ gas. The solar cells with structure of Al/nip ${\mu}c-Si:H$/TCO/glass was fabricated with single chamber Hot-Wire CVD. About 3% solar efficiency was obtained and applicability of HWCVD for thin film solar cells was proven in this research.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.80-82
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• 2009

The dependence of the efficiency characteristics of hydrogenated amorphous silicon single junction solar cells on the various intrinsic layer thickness has been investigate in the glass/$SnO_2$:F/p,i,n a-Si:H/Al type of amorphous silicon solar cells by cluster PECVD system. The open circuit voltage, short circuit current, fill factor and conversion efficiency have been measured under AM 1.5 condition. The result of the cell performance was improved about 8.2% due to an increase in the short circuit current.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.2909-2912
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• 2010

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (${\mu}c$-Si:H) thin film for solar cells is prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and physical properties of the ${\mu}c$-Si:H p-layer has been investigated. With respect to stable efficiency, this film is expected to surpass the performance of conventional amorphous silicon based solar cells and very soon be a close competitor to other thin film photovoltaic materials. Silicon in various structural forms has a direct effect on the efficiency of solar cell devices with different electron mobility and photon conversion. A Raman microscope is adopted to study the degree of crystallinity of Si film by analyzing the integrated intensity peaks at 480, 510 and $520\;cm^{-1}$, which corresponds to the amorphous phase (a-Si:H), microcrystalline (${\mu}c$-Si:H) and large crystals (c-Si), respectively. The crystal volume fraction is calculated from the ratio of the crystalline and the amorphous phase. The results are compared with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) for the determination of crystallinity factor. Optical properties such as refractive index, extinction coefficient, and band gap are studied with reflectance spectra.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.161-166
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• 2007

Photovoltaic (PV) technology permits the transformation of solar light directly into electricity. For the last five years, the photovoltaic sector has experienced one of the highest growth rates worldwide (over 30% in 2006) and for the next 20 years, the average production growth rate is estimated to be between 27% and 34% annually. Currently the cost of electricity produced using photovoltaic technology is above that for traditional energy sources, but this is expected to fall with technological progress and more efficient production processes. A large scale production of solar grade silicon material of high purity could supply the world demand at a reasonably lower cost. A shift from crystalline silicon to thin film is expected in the future. The technical limit for the conversion efficiency is about 30%. It is assumed that in 2030 thin films will have a major market share (90%) and the share of crystalline cells will have decreased to 10%. Our research at Sungkyunkwan University of South Korea is confined to crystalline silicon solar cell technology. We aim to develop a technology for low cost production of high efficiency silicon solar cell. We have successfully fabricated silicon solar cells of efficiency more than 16% starting with multicrystalline wafers and that of efficiency more than 17% on single crystalline wafers with screen printing metallization. The process of transformation from the first generation to second generation solar cell should be geared up with the entry of new approaches but still silicon seems to remain as the major material for solar cells for many years to come. Local barriers to the implementation of this technology may also keep continuing up to year 2010 and by that time the cost of the solar cell generated power is expected to be 60 cent per watt. Photovoltaic source could establish itself as a clean and sustainable energy alternate to the ever depleting and polluting non-renewable energy resource.