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Title: Preventing light-induced degradation in multicrystalline silicon

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4871404· OSTI ID:22273587
; ;  [1]
  1. Department of Micro and Nanosciences, Aalto University, Tietotie 3, 02150 Espoo (Finland)

Multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) is currently dominating the silicon solar cell market due to low ingot costs, but its efficiency is limited by transition metals, extended defects, and light-induced degradation (LID). LID is traditionally associated with a boron-oxygen complex, but the origin of the degradation in the top of the commercial mc-Si brick is revealed to be interstitial copper. We demonstrate that both a large negative corona charge and an aluminum oxide thin film with a built-in negative charge decrease the interstitial copper concentration in the bulk, preventing LID in mc-Si.

OSTI ID:
22273587
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 115, Issue 15; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English