Abstract
In the frame of the development of thin crystalline silicon solar cell technologies, surface nanopatterning of silicon is gaining importance. Its impact on the material quality is, however, not yet fully controlled.We investigate here the influence of surface nanotexturing on the series resistance of a contacting scheme relevant for thin-film crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells. Twodimensional periodic nanotextures are fabricated using a combination of nanoimprint lithography and either dry or wet etching, while random pyramid texturing is used for benchmarking. We compare these texturing techniques in terms of their effect on the series resistance of a solar cell through a study of the sheet resistance (R<inf>sh</inf> ) and contact resistance (R<inf>c</inf>) of its front layers, i.e., a sputtered transparent conductive oxide and evaporated metal contacts. We have found by four-point probe and the transfer length methods that dry-etched nanopatterns render the highestRsh and R<inf>c</inf> values. Wet-etched nanopatterns, on the other hand, have less impact on R<inf>c</inf> and render R<inf>sh</inf> similar to that obtained from the nontextured case.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 7145385 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1319-1324 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Sep 2015 |
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Keywords
- Crystalline silicon
- four-point probe
- inverted pyramids
- light trapping
- nanoimprint
- surface texturing
- thin-film solar cells
- Transfer length method (TLM)
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
Cite this
Influence of Periodic Surface Nanopatterning Profiles on Series Resistance in Thin-Film Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells. / Abdo, Islam; Trompoukis, Christos; Tous, Loic; Depauw, Valerie; Guindi, Rafik; Gordon, Ivan; El Daif, Ounsi.
In: IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 5, No. 5, 7145385, 01.09.2015, p. 1319-1324.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Influence of Periodic Surface Nanopatterning Profiles on Series Resistance in Thin-Film Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells
AU - Abdo, Islam
AU - Trompoukis, Christos
AU - Tous, Loic
AU - Depauw, Valerie
AU - Guindi, Rafik
AU - Gordon, Ivan
AU - El Daif, Ounsi
PY - 2015/9/1
Y1 - 2015/9/1
N2 - In the frame of the development of thin crystalline silicon solar cell technologies, surface nanopatterning of silicon is gaining importance. Its impact on the material quality is, however, not yet fully controlled.We investigate here the influence of surface nanotexturing on the series resistance of a contacting scheme relevant for thin-film crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells. Twodimensional periodic nanotextures are fabricated using a combination of nanoimprint lithography and either dry or wet etching, while random pyramid texturing is used for benchmarking. We compare these texturing techniques in terms of their effect on the series resistance of a solar cell through a study of the sheet resistance (Rsh ) and contact resistance (Rc) of its front layers, i.e., a sputtered transparent conductive oxide and evaporated metal contacts. We have found by four-point probe and the transfer length methods that dry-etched nanopatterns render the highestRsh and Rc values. Wet-etched nanopatterns, on the other hand, have less impact on Rc and render Rsh similar to that obtained from the nontextured case.
AB - In the frame of the development of thin crystalline silicon solar cell technologies, surface nanopatterning of silicon is gaining importance. Its impact on the material quality is, however, not yet fully controlled.We investigate here the influence of surface nanotexturing on the series resistance of a contacting scheme relevant for thin-film crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells. Twodimensional periodic nanotextures are fabricated using a combination of nanoimprint lithography and either dry or wet etching, while random pyramid texturing is used for benchmarking. We compare these texturing techniques in terms of their effect on the series resistance of a solar cell through a study of the sheet resistance (Rsh ) and contact resistance (Rc) of its front layers, i.e., a sputtered transparent conductive oxide and evaporated metal contacts. We have found by four-point probe and the transfer length methods that dry-etched nanopatterns render the highestRsh and Rc values. Wet-etched nanopatterns, on the other hand, have less impact on Rc and render Rsh similar to that obtained from the nontextured case.
KW - Crystalline silicon
KW - four-point probe
KW - inverted pyramids
KW - light trapping
KW - nanoimprint
KW - surface texturing
KW - thin-film solar cells
KW - Transfer length method (TLM)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84940039488&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84940039488&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/JPHOTOV.2015.2447831
DO - 10.1109/JPHOTOV.2015.2447831
M3 - Article
VL - 5
SP - 1319
EP - 1324
JO - IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
JF - IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
SN - 2156-3381
IS - 5
M1 - 7145385
ER -