Analysis of the Diffused Front Surface Field of n-type Silicon Solar Cells with a-Si/c-Si Heterojunction Rear Emitter

In this work, we focus on the optimization of small-area n(+)np(+) n-type silicon solar cells featuring an amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction (a-Si:H/c-Si SHJ) rear emitter. For cells with a locally c-Si(n(++)) diffused high-low junction underneath the front side metallization and a full-area c-Si(n(+)) diffused front surface field (FSF) in between, efficiencies of up to 20.6 % have been reached. It is shown by experiment and two-dimensional device simulation that when omitting the full-area c-Si(n(+)) FSF a sufficient two-dimensional majority carrier transport via the base to the local c-Si(n(++)) FSF can be secured. For the front side passivation of the c-Si base a stack of thermal SiO2/SiNx and Al2O3/SiNx was applied. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of SiliconPV 2011.