Thyristor photovoltaic devices formed by epitaxial growth
Typical commercial photovoltaic (PV) devices suffer from high rear surface recombination velocities that degrade performance and prevent economical gains through the use of thinner substrates. The triple-junction thyristor appears to provide an alternative structure that is simple to form and with the potential for improved performance through capitalizing on the excellent surface passivation achievable through the use of thermally oxidized n-type surfaces. When using phosphorus diffused p-type wafers, the additional rear p-type layer can be easily formed at low temperature by metal mediated epitaxial growth. These layers are studied and characterized to ascertain their suitability. Design considerations and strategies for the implementation of such layers into the thyristor structure for PV generation are presented and discussed. Thyristor PV devices have the additional advantage of blocking current in the dark, alleviating the need for blocking diodes.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney (AU)
- OSTI ID:
- 20006071
- Journal Information:
- IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), Vol. 46, Issue 10; Other Information: PBD: Oct 1999; ISSN 0018-9383
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Study of Passivation in the Gap Region Between Contacts of Interdigitated-Back-Contact Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells: Simulation and Voltage-Modulated Laser-Beam-Induced-Current
Rapid Patterning and Advanced Device Structures for Low Cost Manufacturable Crystalline Si IBC Cells