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Numerical simulations of buried emitter back‐junction solar cells
Author(s) -
Harder NilsP.,
Mertens Verena,
Brendel Rolf
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.887
Subject(s) - common emitter , passivation , optoelectronics , materials science , solar cell , layer (electronics) , type (biology) , engineering physics , nanotechnology , engineering , geology , paleontology
We recently introduced the buried emitter back‐junction solar cell, featuring large area fractions of overlap between n + ‐type and p + ‐type regions at the rear side of the device. In this paper we analyse the performance of the buried emitter solar cell (BESC) and its generalisations by one‐dimensional device simulations and analytical model calculations. A key finding is that the generalised versions of the BESC structure allows achieving very high efficiencies by passivating virtually the entire surface of p ‐type emitters by an oxidised n ‐type surface layer. A disadvantage of this type of full‐area emitter passivation in the generalised back‐junction BESC is the need for an insulating layer between the metallisation of the emitter and the contact to the base, which is technologically difficult to achieve. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.