Al+Si Interface Optical Properties Obtained in the Si Solar Cell Configuration
Abstract
Al is a commonly used material for rear side metallization in commercial silicon (Si) wafer solar cells. In this study, through-the-silicon spectroscopic ellipsometry is used in a test sample to measure Al+Si interface optical properties like those in Si wafer solar cells. Two different spectroscopic ellipsometers are used for measurement of Al+Si interface optical properties over the 1128-2500 nm wavelength range. For validation, the measured interface optical properties are used in a ray tracing simulation over the 300-2500 nm wavelength range for an encapsulated Si solar cell having random pyramidal texture. The ray tracing model matches well with the measured total reflectance at normal incidence of a commercially available Si module. The Al+Si optical properties presented here enable quantitative assessment of major irradiance/current flux losses arising from reflection and parasitic absorption in encapsulated Si solar cells.
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of Toledo, OH (United States). Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization (PVIC)
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1418122
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1400003
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5J00-68655
Journal ID: ISSN 1862-6300
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308; DE‐AC36‐08GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Physica Status Solidi. A, Applications and Materials Science
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 214; Journal Issue: 12; Journal ID: ISSN 1862-6300
- Publisher:
- Wiley
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; aluminum; interfaces; optical properties; silicon; solar cells; spectroscopic ellipsometry
Citation Formats
Subedi, Indra, Silverman, Timothy J., Deceglie, Michael G., and Podraza, Nikolas J. Al+Si Interface Optical Properties Obtained in the Si Solar Cell Configuration. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1002/pssa.201700480.
Subedi, Indra, Silverman, Timothy J., Deceglie, Michael G., & Podraza, Nikolas J. Al+Si Interface Optical Properties Obtained in the Si Solar Cell Configuration. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201700480
Subedi, Indra, Silverman, Timothy J., Deceglie, Michael G., and Podraza, Nikolas J. Wed .
"Al+Si Interface Optical Properties Obtained in the Si Solar Cell Configuration". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201700480. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1418122.
@article{osti_1418122,
title = {Al+Si Interface Optical Properties Obtained in the Si Solar Cell Configuration},
author = {Subedi, Indra and Silverman, Timothy J. and Deceglie, Michael G. and Podraza, Nikolas J.},
abstractNote = {Al is a commonly used material for rear side metallization in commercial silicon (Si) wafer solar cells. In this study, through-the-silicon spectroscopic ellipsometry is used in a test sample to measure Al+Si interface optical properties like those in Si wafer solar cells. Two different spectroscopic ellipsometers are used for measurement of Al+Si interface optical properties over the 1128-2500 nm wavelength range. For validation, the measured interface optical properties are used in a ray tracing simulation over the 300-2500 nm wavelength range for an encapsulated Si solar cell having random pyramidal texture. The ray tracing model matches well with the measured total reflectance at normal incidence of a commercially available Si module. The Al+Si optical properties presented here enable quantitative assessment of major irradiance/current flux losses arising from reflection and parasitic absorption in encapsulated Si solar cells.},
doi = {10.1002/pssa.201700480},
journal = {Physica Status Solidi. A, Applications and Materials Science},
number = 12,
volume = 214,
place = {United States},
year = {2017},
month = {10}
}
Web of Science
Works referenced in this record:
Review on screen printed metallization on p-type silicon
journal, January 2012
- Riegel, S.; Mutter, F.; Lauermann, T.
- Energy Procedia, Vol. 21
Application of a New Ray Tracing Framework to the Analysis of Extended Regions in Si Solar Cell Modules
journal, January 2013
- Holst, Hendrik; Winter, Matthias; Vogt, Malte R.
- Energy Procedia, Vol. 38
Rotating-compensator multichannel ellipsometry: Applications for real time Stokes vector spectroscopy of thin film growth
journal, April 1998
- Lee, Joungchel; Rovira, P. I.; An, Ilsin
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 69, Issue 4
Uncertainty analysis for the coefficient of band-to-band absorption of crystalline silicon
journal, June 2015
- Schinke, Carsten; Christian Peest, P.; Schmidt, Jan
- AIP Advances, Vol. 5, Issue 6
Optical Constants of UV Transparent EVA and the Impact on the PV Module Output Power under Realistic Irradiation
journal, August 2016
- Vogt, Malte R.; Holst, Hendrik; Schulte-Huxel, Henning
- Energy Procedia, Vol. 92
Quantifying the accuracy of ellipsometer systems
journal, May 2008
- Johs, Blaine; Herzinger, C. M.
- physica status solidi (c), Vol. 5, Issue 5
Optical properties of metallic films for vertical-cavity optoelectronic devices
journal, January 1998
- Rakić, Aleksandar D.; Djurišić, Aleksandra B.; Elazar, Jovan M.
- Applied Optics, Vol. 37, Issue 22, p. 5271-5283
Investigation of effective-medium models of microscopic surface roughness by spectroscopic ellipsometry
journal, October 1979
- Aspnes, D. E.; Theeten, J. B.; Hottier, F.
- Physical Review B, Vol. 20, Issue 8
Microstructural and electrical properties of different-sized aluminum-alloyed contacts and their layer system on silicon surfaces
journal, August 2011
- Krause, Jonas; Woehl, Robert; Rauer, Michael
- Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 95, Issue 8
Formation of aluminum silicide between two layers of amorphous silicon
journal, April 1987
- Hentzell, H. T. G.; Robertsson, A.; Hultman, L.
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 50, Issue 14
Near infrared to ultraviolet optical properties of bulk single crystal and nanocrystal thin film iron pyrite
journal, June 2016
- Subedi, Indra; Bhandari, Khagendra P.; Ellingson, Randall J.
- Nanotechnology, Vol. 27, Issue 29
Detailed Current Loss Analysis for a PV Module Made With Textured Multicrystalline Silicon Wafer Solar Cells
journal, March 2014
- Peters, Ian Marius; Khoo, Yong Sheng; Walsh, Timothy Michael
- IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 4, Issue 2
19.4%-efficient large-area fully screen-printed silicon solar cells
journal, March 2011
- Gatz, Sebastian; Hannebauer, Helge; Hesse, Rene
- physica status solidi (RRL) - Rapid Research Letters, Vol. 5, Issue 4
Ellipsometric determination of optical constants for silicon and thermally grown silicon dioxide via a multi-sample, multi-wavelength, multi-angle investigation
journal, March 1998
- Herzinger, C. M.; Johs, B.; McGahan, W. A.
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 83, Issue 6
Contact Resistivity of Evaporated Al Contacts for Silicon Solar Cells
journal, September 2015
- Fong, Kean Chern; Kho, Teng Choon; Fell, Andreas
- IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 5, Issue 5
Investigation of Evaporated Rear Contacts for Al-LBSF Silicon Wafer Solar Cells
journal, January 2012
- Chen, Jia; Du, Zheren; Hoex, Bram
- Energy Procedia, Vol. 25
LPCVD SiN x thin film on c-Si wafer by spectroscopic ellipsometry
journal, June 2016
- Gautam, Laxmi Karki; Ye, Ligang; Podraza, Nikolas J.
- Surface Science Spectra, Vol. 23, Issue 1
Optical properties of soda lime silica glasses
journal, September 1985
- Rubin, M.
- Solar Energy Materials, Vol. 12, Issue 4
Application of IR variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry to the determination of free carrier concentration depth profiles
journal, February 1998
- Tiwald, Thomas E.; Thompson, Daniel W.; Woollam, John A.
- Thin Solid Films, Vol. 313-314
Accurate opto-electrical modeling of multi-crystalline silicon wafer-based solar cells
journal, April 2014
- Ingenito, Andrea; Isabella, Olindo; Solntsev, Serge
- Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 123
Interaction of aluminum with hydrogenated amorphous silicon at low temperatures
journal, April 1994
- Shahidul Haque, M.; Naseem, H. A.; Brown, W. D.
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 75, Issue 8
On the temperature dependence of photovoltaic module electrical performance: A review of efficiency/power correlations
journal, May 2009
- Skoplaki, E.; Palyvos, J. A.
- Solar Energy, Vol. 83, Issue 5
Silicon diffusion in aluminum for rear passivated solar cells
journal, April 2011
- Urrejola, Elias; Peter, Kristian; Plagwitz, Heiko
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 98, Issue 15
Pathways for solar photovoltaics
journal, January 2015
- Jean, Joel; Brown, Patrick R.; Jaffe, Robert L.
- Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 8, Issue 4
Through-the-glass spectroscopic ellipsometry for analysis of CdTe thin-film solar cells in the superstrate configuration: Through-the-glass spectroscopic ellipsometry
journal, February 2016
- Koirala, Prakash; Li, Jian; Yoon, Heayoung P.
- Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Vol. 24, Issue 8
Further analysis of aluminum alloying for the formation of p+ regions in silicon solar cells
journal, January 2011
- Rauer, Michael; Schmiga, Christian; Krause, Jonas
- Energy Procedia, Vol. 8
Optical investigations of AlSi–SiC composites subjected to laser CO2 annealing
journal, October 2010
- Jaglarz, Janusz; Grabowski, Andrzej
- Optics and Lasers in Engineering, Vol. 48, Issue 10
Works referencing / citing this record:
Photogenerated Carrier Transport Properties in Silicon Photovoltaics
journal, December 2019
- Uprety, Prakash; Subedi, Indra; Junda, Maxwell M.
- Scientific Reports, Vol. 9, Issue 1