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Electronically stimulated degradation of silicon solar cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2006

J. Schmidt ,
K. Bothe ,
D. Macdonald ,
J. Adey ,
R. Jones  and
D.W. Palmer
J. Schmidt*
Affiliation:
Institut für Solarenergieforschung Hameln/Emmerthal (ISFH), D-31860 Emmerthal, Germany
K. Bothe
Affiliation:
Institut für Solarenergieforschung Hameln/Emmerthal (ISFH), D-31860 Emmerthal, Germany
D. Macdonald
Affiliation:
Department of Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
J. Adey
Affiliation:
School of Physics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QL, United Kingdom
R. Jones
Affiliation:
School of Physics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QL, United Kingdom
D.W. Palmer
Affiliation:
School of Physics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QL, United Kingdom
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author.e-mail: j.schmidt@isfh.de This paper was selected as the Outstanding Meeting Paper for the 2005 MRS Spring Meeting Symposium E Proceedings, Vol. 864.
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Abstract

Carrier lifetime degradation in crystalline silicon solar cells under illumination with white light is a frequently observed phenomenon. Two main causes of such degradation effects have been identified in the past, both of them being electronically driven and both related to the most common acceptor element, boron, in silicon: (i) the dissociation of iron-boron pairs and (ii) the formation of recombination-active boron-oxygen complexes. While the first mechanism is particularly relevant in metal-contaminated solar-grade multicrystalline silicon materials, the latter process is important in monocrystalline Czochralski-grown silicon, rich in oxygen. This paper starts with a short review of the characteristic features of the two processes. We then briefly address the effect of iron-boron dissociation on solar cell parameters. Regarding the boron-oxygen-related degradation, the current status of the physical understanding of the defect formation process and the defect structure are presented. Finally, we discuss different strategies for effectively avoiding the degradation.

Keywords

DefectsPhotovoltaicSemiconductor
Type
Outstanding Meeting Papers: Review
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , January 2006 , pp. 5 - 12
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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