Screen-Printed SHJ Solar Cells with Complex Silver Inks

Conference · Tue Feb 03 00:00:00 EST 2026

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/3017377· OSTI ID:3017377

Truong, Thien ^[1]; Page, Matt ^[1]; Sinha, Sneh ^[2]; Kaupa, Markus ^[1]; Smith, Mitchell ^[2]; Selvidge, Jennifer ^[1]; Guthrey, Harvey ^[1]; Nemeth, William ^[1]; Theingi, San ^[1]; Walker, Brett ^[2]; Steiner, Myles ^[1]; Stradins, Paul ^[1]; Lemieux, Melbs ^[2]; Young, David ^[1]

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1. National Laboratory of the Rockies, Golden, CO (United States)
2. Electroninks

Metallization using complex metal inks has gained significant research interest due to its cost-effectiveness and ability to achieve performance comparable to traditional nanoparticle pastes. This study introduces the use of complex silver (Ag) inks applied via industrial screen-printing for silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cell metallization. The printed Ag lines exhibit a contact resistivity on SHJ tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) surfaces as low as approximately 0.2-12 mO cm2. Photoluminescence imaging reveals minimal surface passivation degradation (iVoc < 3.5 mV), while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows a denser structure compared to Ag layer from nanoparticle pastes. The printed Ag grid features thin (approximately 1 micrometer), continuous fingers approximately 100-120 micrometer wide, significantly thinner than conventional approximately 20-30 micrometer fingers produced with nanoparticle-based pastes. Double printing achieves SHJ device efficiencies exceeding 20%, the highest reported for industrial solar cell precursors using this technology. These findings highlight the potential of complex Ag inks as a sustainable alternative to particle-based pastes, reducing Ag consumption and processing temperatures without compromising efficiency.

• Research Organization: National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 3017377
• Report Number(s): NLR/PR-5K00-92867
• Resource Type: Conference presentation
• Conference Information: Presented at the 53rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC 53), 8-13 June 2025, Montreal, Canada
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
Cu/Ag
metallization
nanoparticle
screen printing
Si heterojunction