n- and p-type silicon solar cells with molybdenum oxide hole contacts

This paper provides an experimental proof-of-concept for simple solar cell designs on n- and p-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) substrates which utilise sub-stoichiometric MoOx (x < 3) films to collect holes. The n-type cell design (referred to as 'molypoly') features a planar rear SiOx /poly-Si(n(+)) stack with a planar front SiOx / MoOx / ITO stack. We demonstrate an unoptimised conversion efficiency of similar to 16.7 +/- 1% for a 3 x 3cm cell using a simple 10-step fabrication procedure. The p-type cell design (referred to as 'moly-BSR') is comprised of a simple SiNx passivated, textured, front phosphorus diffusion with a rear MoOx / Ag hole contact. A conversion efficiency of similar to 16.4 +/- 1% is achieved for 2 x 2cm using an 11-step fabrication procedure. Beyond the proof-of-concept results achieved, a number of future improvements are also outlined. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.