Mechanisms limiting the performance of large grain polycrystalline silicon solar cells
The open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current of large-grain (1 to 10 mm grain diameter) polycrystalline silicon solar cells is determined by the minority-carrier diffusion length within the bulk of the grains. This was demonstrated by irradiating polycrystalline and single-crystal (Czochralski) silicon solar cells with 1 MeV electrons to reduce their bulk lifetime. The variation of short-circuit current with minority-carrier diffusion length for the polycrystalline solar cells is identical to that of the single-crystal solar cells. The open-circuit voltage versus short-circuit current characteristic of the polycrystalline solar cells for reduced diffusion lengths is also identical to that of the single-crystal solar cell. The open-circuit voltage of the polycrystalline solar cells is a strong function of quasi-neutral (bulk) recombination, and is reduced only slightly, of at all, by grain-boundary recombination.
- Research Organization:
- Solarex Corp., Rockville, MD (USA); Jet Propulsion Lab., Pasadena, CA (USA); Cabot Corp., Billerica, MA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- NAS-7-100-955902
- OSTI ID:
- 6907103
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-831028-5; ON: DE84011688
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Process Research of Polycrystalline Silicon Material (PROPSM). Quarterly report No. 1, November 8-December 31, 1983
Process research on polycrystalline silicon material (PROPSM). Final technical report
Related Subjects
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
CARRIER LIFETIME
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALS
CURRENTS
DIFFUSION LENGTH
DIMENSIONS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
EQUIPMENT
GRAIN BOUNDARIES
LENGTH
LIFETIME
MICROSTRUCTURE
PERFORMANCE
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
POLYCRYSTALS
RECOMBINATION
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT