Dielectric surface passivation for silicon solar cells: A review

Journal article

Silicon wafer solar cells continue to be the leading photovoltaic technology, and in many places are now providing a substantial portion of electricity generation. Further adoption of this technology will require processing that minimises losses in device performance. A fundamental mechanism for efficiency loss is the recombination of photo-generated charge carriers at the unavoidable cell surfaces. Dielectric coatings have been shown to largely prevent these losses through a combination of different passivation mechanisms. This review aims to provide an overview of the dielectric passivation coatings developed in the past two decades using a standardised methodology to characterise the metrics of surface recombination across all techniques and materials. The efficacy of a large set of materials and methods has been evaluated using such metrics and a discussion on the current state and prospects for further surface passivation improvements is provided.

Authors: Bonilla Osorio, R; Hoex, B; Hamer, P; Wilshaw, P

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Physica Status Solidi A: Applications and Materials Science
• Volume: 214
• Issue: 7
• Article number: 1700293
• Publication date: 2017-06-12
• Acceptance date: 2017-05-10
• DOI: 10.1002/pssa.201700293
• EISSN: 1862-6319
• ISSN: 1862-6300
• Keywords: dielectric coatings; surface passivation; chemical vapour deposition; silicon solar cells