DOI: 10.1002/pip.855. Comprehensive analysis of advanced solar cell contacts consisting of printed fine‐line seed layers thickened by silver plating

Comprehensive analysis of advanced solar cell contacts consisting of printed fine‐line seed layers thickened by silver plating

10.1002/pip.855

Crossref journal-article

Wiley

Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications (311)

Abstract

AbstractThis work presents a detailed analysis of a new two‐layer process to contact industrial solar cells. However, most of the results seem to be transferable to standard screen print paste contacts. The seed layer was created by a pad or screen printer and thickened by light‐induced plating (LIP) of silver. These contact structures were investigated microscopically to gain a better understanding of the observed electrical parameters. A review of the present microscopic contact formation model for flat surfaces is presented. This model was extended and applied to surfaces textured with random pyramids. This analysis has revealed two new types of silver crystallites which can be described by a crystallographic model. The dependence of the silver crystallite density on the surface doping concentration was investigated. Next, the dependence of the contact resistance on the width of the seed layer was measured showing that the contact resistivity increases with a reduction of the seed layer width. These results have been further approved by an analysis of SEM images of wet‐chemically etched contacts examining the density of crystallites and the fraction of removed SiNx layer. Contact resistance RC measurements before and after LIP of silver showed surprisingly a positive influence of the plating process on RC. A detailed microscopical analysis revealed four new possible current flow paths due to the LIP of a conventional contact or a seed layer. The results led to an extension of the existing model for a screen‐printed contact. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Bibliography

Pysch, D., Mette, A., Filipovic, A., & Glunz, S. W. (2008). Comprehensive analysis of advanced solar cell contacts consisting of printed fineâline seed layers thickened by silver plating. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, 17(2), 101â114. Portico.

Authors 4

D. Pysch (first)
A. Mette (additional)
A. Filipovic (additional)
S. W. Glunz (additional)

References 23 Referenced 85

GlunzSW MetteA AlemánM RichterPL FilipovicA WillekeG.New concepts for the front side metallization of sllicon solor cells.Proceedings of the 21st European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference Dresden Germany 2006;746.
MetteA SchetterC WissenD LustS GlunzSW WillekeG.Increasing the efficiency of screen‐printed silicon solar cells by light‐induced silver plating.Proceedings of the 4th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion Waikoloa Hawaii USA 2006;1056. (10.1109/WCPEC.2006.279322)
10.1002/pip.534
AlemánM StreekA RegenfußP MetteA EbertR ExnerH GlunzSW WillekeG.Laser micro‐sintering as a new metallization technique for silicon solar cells.Proceedings of the 21st European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference Dresden Germany 2006;705.
MetteA RichterPL GlunzSW WillekeGP.Novel metal jet printing technique for the front side metallization of highly efficient industrial silicon solar cells.Proceedings of the 21st European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference Dresden Germany 2006;1174.
HörteisM MetteA RichterPL FidorraF GlunzSW.Further progress in metal aerosol jet printing for front side metallization of silicon solar cells.Proceedings of the 22nd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference Milan Italy 2007.
HuljicDM ThormannS PreuR LüdemannR WillekeG.Pad printed front contacts for c‐Si solar cells ‐ a technological and economical evaluation.Proceedings of the 29th IEEE PVSC New Orleans Louisiana USA 2002;126. (10.1109/PVSC.2002.1190472)
DurkeeLF. US Patent 4 144 139 Solarex Corporation Rockville MD USA1979.
SpäthW. Patentschrift 23 48 182 Siemens AG Germany1979.
GrenonLA. US Patent 4 251 327 Motorola Inc. Schaumburg IL USA1981.
PyschD MetteA FilipovicA GlunzSW.Detailed analysis of fine line printed and planted solar cell contacts.Proceedings of the 22nd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference Milan Italy 2007.
SchroderDK MeierDL.Solar cell contact resistance ‐ a review.IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices ED‐31 1984 637. (10.1109/T-ED.1984.21583)
10.1063/1.1562338
HuljicD.Fraunhofer ISE und Universität Konstanz Freiburg/Konstanz2003.
HilaliMM ToB RohatgiA.Understanding and development of AG pastes for silicon solar cells with high sheet‐resistance emitters.Proceedings of the 14th Workshop on Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells and Modules NREL Winter Park Colorado USA 2004;109.
SchubertG HusterF FathP.Physical understanding of printed thick film front contacts of crystalline Si solar cells: review of existing models and recent developments.Proceedings of the 19th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference Paris France 2004;813.
GruppG BiroD EmanuelG PreuR SchitthelmF WillekeG.Analysis of silver thick‐film contact formation on industrial silicon solar cells.Proceedings of the 31st IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference (PVSEC) Orlando Florida 2005;927. (10.1109/PVSC.2005.1488376)
HuljicDM BallifC Hessler‐WyserA WillekeG.Microstructural analyses of Ag thick‐film contacts on n‐type silicon emitters.Proceedings of the 3rd World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion Osaka Japan 2003;83.
SchubertG.Thick film metallisation of crystalline silicon solar cells. Doctoral thesis Universität Konstanz Konstanz2006.
10.1088/0022-3727/15/6/019
KontermannS EmanuelG BenickJ PreuR WillekeG.Characterisation of silver thick‐film contact formation on textured monocrystalline silicon solar cells.Proceedings of the 21st European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference Dresden Germany 2006;613.
KhadilkarC SridharanS GnizakD PhamT KimS ShaikhA.Effect of glass chemistry and silicon orientation on the front contact microstructure formation in a silicon solar cell.Proceedings of the 20th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference Barcelona Spain 2005;1291.
MetteA.New concepts for front side metallization of industrial silicon solar cells.Doctoral Thesis Faculty for Applied Science Universität Freiburg: Freiburg 2007;231.

Dates

Type	When
Created	16 years, 10 months ago (Oct. 1, 2008, 4:13 a.m.)
Deposited	1 year, 9 months ago (Nov. 13, 2023, 7:29 p.m.)
Indexed	1 month, 1 week ago (July 20, 2025, 12:20 a.m.)
Issued	16 years, 10 months ago (Oct. 1, 2008)
Published	16 years, 10 months ago (Oct. 1, 2008)
Published Online	16 years, 10 months ago (Oct. 1, 2008)
Published Print	16 years, 5 months ago (March 1, 2009)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Pysch_2008, title={Comprehensive analysis of advanced solar cell contacts consisting of printed fine‐line seed layers thickened by silver plating}, volume={17}, ISSN={1099-159X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pip.855}, DOI={10.1002/pip.855}, number={2}, journal={Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Pysch, D. and Mette, A. and Filipovic, A. and Glunz, S. W.}, year={2008}, month=oct, pages={101–114} }

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