Exploring the Performance and Reliability of Screen-Printable Fire-Through Copper Paste on PERC Solar Cells

Conference · Fri Nov 15 04:00:00 EST 2024

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC57443.2024.10749497· OSTI ID:2499735

Mitra, Suchismita; Johnston, Steve; Guthrey, Harvey; Hacke, Peter; Nemeth, Bill; Dharmadasa, Ruvini; Druffel, Thad; Elmer, Kevin; Nambo, Apolo; Williams, Dustin; Upadhyaya, Ajay; Unadhvava, Vijaykumar D.; Rohatai, Ajeet; Stradins, Paul

In this work, we present the performance and reliability of a fire-through copper (Cu) paste which has been screen printed on c-Si solar cell with passivated emitter rear contact (PERC). The Cu paste is fired through silicon nitride (SiN) anti-reflection coating at a peak temperature of 630 degrees C . SEM images of the Cu paste show a Cu core with ~200 nm oxide shell around the particles. This conductive oxide layer acts as a diffusion barrier between Cu and Si and prevents the degradation of cell performance during accelerated aging conditions. An efficiency of 19.250% has been achieved with Voc=654mV,FF= 76.68%, Jsc=38.40 m.A/cm 2 for champion PERC cells. Accelerated testing of the PERC mini-modules in damp heat chamber with 85 degrees C and 85% humidity have demonstrated that the devices are operational even after 1,500 hours. Devices with screen printed Ag contacts on the front side have been studied in parallel to the Cu contacts for comparison.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office, Durable Modules Consortium (DuraMAT)
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 2499735
• Report Number(s): NREL/CP-5K00-92691; MainId:94472; UUID:334ad69f-d708-4eff-ba72-380942368d4f; MainAdminId:75738
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

SOLAR ENERGY
copper
heating systems
humidity
life estimation
performance evaluation
photovoltaic cells
photovoltaic systems
reliability
silicon
silicon nitride