Effect of the front surface field on crystalline silicon solar cell efficiency

Abdelaziz Zouari and Adel Ben Arab

Renewable Energy, 2011, vol. 36, issue 6, 1663-1670

Abstract: The present paper reports on a simulation study carried out to determine and optimize the effect of the high–low junction emitter (n+-n) on thin silicon solar cell performance. The optimum conditions for the thickness and doping level of the front surface layer with a Gaussian profile were optimized using analytical solutions for a one dimensional model that takes on the theory relevant for highly doped regions into account. The photovoltaic parameters of silicon solar cells with front surface field layer (n+-n-p structure) and those of the conventional one (n-p structure) are compared. The results indicate that the most important role played by the front surface field layer is to enhance the collection of light-generated free carriers, which improves the efficiency of the short wavelength quantum. This is achieved by a drastic reduction in the effective recombination at the emitter upper boundary, a property primarily responsible for the decrease in the emitter dark current density. The findings also indicate that the solar cell maximum efficiency increase by about 2.38% when the surface doping level of the n+-region and its thickness are equal to 2.1020 cm−3 and 0.07 μm, respectively.

Keywords: Solar cell; Modeling; Optimization; Gaussian profile; High-low junction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:36:y:2011:i:6:p:1663-1670

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2010.11.034

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