Article
Energy & Fuels
Jian Yu, Yang Chen, Jialong He, Yu Bai, Rong Su, Taiqiang Cao, Wenzhu Liu, Tao Chen
Summary: In this study, a highly conductive and ultra-thin titanium nitride (TiN) film was prepared using reactive magnetron sputtering for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells. The TiN film demonstrated a high conductivity of 5000 S/cm and a relatively low work function of 4.26 eV, optimizing electron transport. The application of this film in TOPCon solar cells achieved an impressive efficiency of 24.6% (Voc = 707.1 mV, Jsc = 41.62 mA/cm2, FF = 83.7%) and provided vital insights for electron contact optimization in silicon or perovskite solar cells.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Linyi Zeng, Lun Cai, Zilei Wang, Nuo Chen, Zhaolang Liu, Tian Chen, Yicong Pang, Wenxian Wang, Hongwei Zhang, Qi Zhang, Zuyong Feng, Pingqi Gao
Summary: This study reports a high-quality dopant-free electron-selective passivating contact made from ultra-low concentration water solution. Both low recombination current and low contact resistivity are achieved on intrinsic amorphous silicon thin film passivated n-Si using this new contact. The full-area implementation of the novel passivating contact shows 20.4% efficiency on a prototype solar cell without advanced lithography process.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Hisham Nasser, Mona Zolfaghari Borra, Emine Hande Ciftpinar, Basil Eldeeb, Rasit Turan
Summary: The study investigated the application of hole-selective transition metal oxide layers with silver as full-area rear contact on 22.5 μm-thick low-quality Cz p-type c-Si solar cells, demonstrating that MoOx outperformed V2Ox and WOx. The TMO/Ag rear contact was found to significantly reduce parasitic light absorption at longer wavelengths and provide advantages over conventional Al contact, resulting in considerable efficiency and high device performance.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jonathan Linke, Raphael Glatthaar, Frank Huster, Tobias Okker, Soren Moeller, Giso Hahn, Barbara Terheiden
Summary: This study investigates the degradation mechanism of passivating contacts based on polycrystalline silicon on an interfacial oxide. The research reveals that the degradation is mainly caused by the dopant penetration of the interfacial oxide, rather than the actual boron concentration at the interface itself.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Shinsuke Miyagawa, Kazuhiro Gotoh, Kentaro Kutsukake, Yasuyoshi Kurokawa, Noritaka Usami
Summary: The use of Bayesian optimization in the fabrication of high-performance titanium oxide/silicon oxide/crystalline silicon passivating contact accelerated the process optimization, significantly improving carrier selectivity S10 through simultaneous optimization of multiple parameters with samples treated in the same batch.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Duy Phong Pham, Sunhwa Lee, Muhammad Quddamah Khokhar, Sanchari Chowdhury, Hyeongsik Park, Youngkuk Kim, Eun-Chel Cho, Junsin Yi
Summary: The proposed quantum well structure with SiOx/nc-Si/SiOx layers can enhance the passivation quality of c-Si solar cells by acting as a double barrier to suppress dopant diffusion from the poly-Si layer into the c-Si. The formation of the nc-Si phase sandwiched between the SiOx layers facilitates carrier transport and tunnelling through the layers for efficient collection, resulting in improved cell performance.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Mohamed M. Shehata, Thien N. Truong, Rabin Basnet, Hieu T. Nguyen, Daniel H. Macdonald, Lachlan E. Black
Summary: Impedance spectroscopy is a powerful characterization technique that has not been widely applied to c-Si solar cells. This study demonstrates the application of IS technique to a high-efficiency c-Si solar cell and shows that it can distinguish different components and determine lifetimes. The findings suggest that IS is a promising technique for exploring dynamic properties of high-efficiency c-Si solar cells.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaoning Liu, Jiakai Zhou, Yi Ding, Xiaodan Zhang, Ying Zhao, Guofu Hou
Summary: In this work, the potential of hydrogenated molybdenum oxide (H:MoOx) deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) as an efficient hole selective passivating contact for p-type crystalline silicon solar cell is demonstrated. The results show a significant impact of precursor and deposition temperature on the properties of H:MoOx thin films, leading to variations in hydrogenation degree and work function. The H:MoOx thin film as a hole selective passivating contact achieves low contact resistivity (72.6 mU cm2) and high open-circuit voltage (624 mV), resulting in an increased power conversion efficiency of the solar cell from 15.48% to 17.23%.
MATERIALS TODAY ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mohamed M. Shehata, Thien N. Truong, Gabriel Bartholazzi, Daniel H. Macdonald, Lachlan E. Black
Summary: TiOx-based electron-selective contacts with high optical transparency and excellent passivation of silicon surfaces have been achieved using atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. However, stability challenges have hindered their commercialization. The use of an AlyTiOx/TiyZnOx/TiOx/ZnO/ITO multilayer structure, which addresses these stability challenges, allows for highly stable and outstanding passivation performance. This breakthrough is a crucial step towards highly efficient crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Manvika Singh, Kunal Datta, Aswathy Amarnath, Fabian Wagner, Yifeng Zhao, Guangtao Yang, Andrea Bracesco, Nga Phung, Dong Zhang, Valerio Zardetto, Mehrdad Najafi, Sjoerd C. Veenstra, Gianluca Coletti, Luana Mazzarella, Mariadriana Creatore, Martijn M. Wienk, Rene A. J. Janssen, Arthur W. Weeber, Miro Zeman, Olindo Isabella
Summary: In this study, c-Si bottom cells based on high temperature poly-SiOx CSPCs were developed, and high efficiency four-terminal and two-terminal perovskite/c-Si tandem solar cells were demonstrated. By tuning the ultra-thin, thermally grown SiOx and optimizing the electrical properties of both n-type and p-type doped poly-SiOx CSPCs, conversion efficiencies of 28.1% and 23.2% were achieved in 4T and 2T tandems, respectively.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zetao Ding, Thien N. Truong, Hieu T. Nguyen, Di Yan, Xinyu Zhang, Jie Yang, Zhao Wang, Peiting Zheng, Yimao Wan, Daniel Macdonald, Josua Stuckelberger
Summary: In this study, p-type passivating contacts based on industrial poly-Si/thermal-SiOx/n-c-Si substrates were fabricated using a spin-on doping technique. The effects of drive-in temperature, drive-in dwell time, and intrinsic poly-Si thickness on boron-doped poly-Si passivating contacts were investigated. The results showed that the passivation quality improved with increasing thermal budget but decreased with excessive thermal annealing, while the thickness of the intrinsic poly-Si film had little impact on performance. After optimization, the poly-Si passivating contacts exhibited promising characteristics with an implied open-circuit voltage > 720 mV and a contact resistivity below 5 mΩ cm2.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Sungjin Choi, Jimin Baek, Taejun Kim, Kwan Hong Min, Myeong Sang Jeong, Hee-eun Song, Min Gu Kang, Donghwan Kim, Yoonmook Kang, Hae-Seok Lee, Jae-Min Myoung, Sungeun Park
Summary: Passivated contact structures, such as TOPCon and POLO solar cells, have made significant progress in efficiency. Analyzing the interface characteristics of P-doped poly-Si/SiO2/c-Si using algorithms based on the extended SRH theory can quantify the passivation effects and provide valuable insights into the properties of these structures. Through the quantitative analysis model using carrier lifetime theory, the passivation properties of P-doped poly-Si/SiO2/c-Si were investigated.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Takuya Matsui, Shona McNab, Ruy Sebastian Bonilla, Hitoshi Sai
Summary: Dopant-free and full-area passivating hole contacts can improve the efficiency of solar cells and have the potential to simplify the manufacturing process.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xi Yang, Zhiqin Ying, Zhenhai Yang, Jia-Ru Xu, Wei Wang, Jiajia Wang, Zenggui Wang, Lingze Yao, Baojie Yan, Jichun Ye
Summary: Efficient passivating carrier-selective contacts (PCSCs) have been achieved using a light-promoted adsorption method, establishing high-density PEI monolayers for n-type silicon solar cells. This approach not only improves device efficiency, but also provides a convenient coating deposition strategy for various applications.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Nga Phung, Cristian van Helvoirt, Wolfhard Beyer, John Anker, Ronald C. G. Naber, Marten Renes, Wilhelmus M. M. Kessels, L. J. Geerligs, Mariadriana Creatore, Bart Macco
Summary: In recent years, passivating contacts based on SiO2/poly-Si have shown great potential for Si solar cells. This study explores the use of p-type metal oxide NiO as a hydrogenation source and compares its performance with the established ALD ZnO/Al2O3 stack. The results demonstrate that NiO performs almost as well as ZnO/Al2O3 on planar surfaces but lags behind on textured surfaces. Interestingly, NiO exhibits less hydrogen content at the Si/SiO2 interface after annealing compared to the ZnO/Al2O3 stack.
IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Nathan L. Chang, Geedhika K. Poduval, Borong Sang, Kean Khoo, Michael Woodhouse, Fred Qi, Mohammad Dehghanimadvar, Wei Min Li, Renate J. Egan, Bram Hoex
Summary: The production cost of using atomic layer deposition (ALD) to form transition metal oxide (TMO) layers as alternatives to commonly used layers in HJT solar cells (p-doped, n-doped, and indium tin oxide) is likely to be lower than the standard HJT. The main cost driver is the cost of the ALD precursors. This study motivates further development of ALD TMO processes to increase their efficiency and take advantage of the cost advantage.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Di Yan, Andres Cuevas, Josua Stuckelberger, Er-Chien Wang, Sieu Pheng Phang, Teng Choon Kho, Jesus Ibarra Michel, Daniel Macdonald, James Bullock
Summary: This paper classifies passivating contact solar cells into three categories based on the material used for carrier-selective junctions, and discusses their current efficiency values, distinctive features, advantages, limitations, and promising opportunities for higher conversion efficiencies.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yu Zhang, Giuseppe Scardera, Shaozhou Wang, Malcolm Abbott, David Payne, Bram Hoex
Summary: Phosphorous dopant diffusion profiles are important in many silicon semiconductor devices, and accurate spatially resolved dopant profiling is crucial for understanding their performance. The scanning electron microscopy for dopant contrast imaging (SEMDCI) method is effective in obtaining these profiles, especially for silicon samples with surface nanotexturing or black silicon (BSi) technology. However, previous studies have shown a poor correlation between the dopant concentration and the secondary electron (SE) signal contrast. This work presents improvements in contrast, correlation, and image condition normalization, and applies the SEMDCI method for the first time to obtain 2D electron concentration maps for planar and BSi samples.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jingming Zheng, He Wei, Zhiqin Ying, Xi Yang, Jiang Sheng, Zhenhai Yang, Yuheng Zeng, Jichun Ye
Summary: This research focuses on the double-textured TOPCon structures and investigates their passivation and contact properties. By rearranging the schedules of annealing processes and the radio frequency powers of SiOx deposition, the passivation and contact properties can be regulated. The proof-of-concept perovskite/TOPCon tandem solar cells featuring the double-textured structures achieve a remarkable efficiency of 28.49%.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Bikesh Gupta, Mohamed M. M. Shehata, Yonghwan Lee, Lachlan E. Black, Fajun Ma, Bram Hoex, Chennupati Jagadish, Hark Hoe Tan, Siva Karuturi
Summary: III-V semiconductors are highly efficient materials for solar energy conversion devices. Exposing them to hydrogen plasma can improve their optoelectronic properties, particularly in the fabrication of InP solar cells. However, the changes induced by hydrogen plasma exposure to the surface and in the bulk of III-V semiconductors are not well understood. This study demonstrates that exposing an InP substrate to hydrogen plasma can achieve a 19.3% efficient p-InP solar cell with a TiO2 electron selective contact layer. Detailed investigations reveal that this exposure leads to charge carrier polarity inversion in the near-surface region and reduces carrier concentration in the bulk. These findings provide important insights into the impact of hydrogen plasma exposures on InP and its potential for enhancing optoelectronic devices such as solar cells and photodetectors.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Wenrui Zhang, Wei Wang, Jinfu Zhang, Tan Zhang, Li Chen, Yu Zhang, Yanwei Cao, Li Ji, Jichun Ye
Summary: By establishing a low-defect diffusion barrier, the responsivity and response time of ε-Ga2O3 MSM photodetectors were improved simultaneously.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xin Cui, Kaiwen Sun, Jialiang Huang, Heng Sun, Ao Wang, Xiaojie Yuan, Martin Green, Bram Hoex, Xiaojing Hao
Summary: Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) solar cells are promising due to their abundance, dry processability, and environmental friendliness. This study demonstrates the deposition of a ZnMgO window layer using atomic layer deposition (ALD), which exhibits superior smoothness and suitable doping density. The optimized ZnMgO layer reduces charge carrier recombination and parasitic absorption, leading to improved voltage and current characteristics of the CZTS solar cell, with an efficiency of 10%.
ACS MATERIALS LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Bikesh Gupta, Doudou Zhang, Hongjun Chen, Chennupati Jagadish, Hark Hoe Tan, Siva Karuturi
Summary: This study presents a novel approach for fabricating high-performance solar cells based on InP heterojunctions using a solution-processed ferri-hydrite (Fh) electron-selective contact (ESC). The champion cell efficiency of 16.6% is achieved, which is a significant improvement over those from previous studies using other solution-processed ESC materials. The Fh layer not only selectively extracts photogenerated electrons from InP but also simultaneously serves as a surface protection layer, improving the cell's long-term stability.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yuheng Zeng, Zunke Liu, Mingdun Liao, Wei Liu, Zhenhai Yang, Jichun Ye
Summary: The study showed that the carbon or nitrogen-doped polysilicon can mitigate the passivation damage caused by the metallization processes, leading to a smaller decrease in implied open-circuit voltage and a smaller increase in recombination current. However, the higher contact resistivity of the novel polysilicon in finger-metal electrodes overshadowed its advantage in resisting metallization damage. Numerical simulations demonstrated that solar cells with the novel polysilicon still achieved a higher efficiency than those with standard polysilicon.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Chandany Sen, Xinyuan Wu, Haoran Wang, Muhammad Umair Khan, Lizhong Mao, Fangdan Jiang, Tao Xu, Guangchun Zhang, Catherine Chan, Bram Hoex
Summary: Bifacial passivated emitter and rear cells (PERC) currently dominate the photovoltaic market, but heterojunction (HJT) and tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells are expected to gain significant market share. This study investigates the impact of sodium chloride (NaCl) on damp-heat-induced degradation in these cell technologies and finds that TOPCon cells degrade the most, followed by HJT and PERC cells. The increase in degradation is attributed to corrosion of the metal contact, caused by Na+ and Cl- ions penetrating the contact. These findings are important for understanding the potential failures in the field.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2023)
Article
Crystallography
Ping Ouyang, Kunzi Liu, Jiaxin Zhang, Qiushuang Chen, Liqiong Deng, Long Yan, Jason Hoo, Shiping Guo, Li Chen, Wei Guo, Jichun Ye
Summary: Semipolar AlGaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) have poor crystalline quality, but this can be improved using in situ thermal annealing technique. Temperature-dependent and time-resolved photoluminescence characterizations revealed strong carrier localization in MQWs on in situ-annealed AlN, similar to conventional ex situ face-to-face annealing. Furthermore, MQWs on in situ-annealed AlN showed significantly reduced dislocation densities, indicating potential for high-efficiency optoelectronic devices.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mohammad Taha, Sivacarendran Balendhran, Peter C. Sherrell, Nick Kirkwood, Dingchen Wen, Shifan Wang, Jiajun Meng, James Bullock, Kenneth B. Crozier, Len Sciacca
Summary: We have developed a method to lower the insulator-to-metal phase transition (IMT) temperature of vanadium oxide (VOx) to around 40 degrees Celsius, enabling near-room temperature infrared modulation. This approach involves controlling the metal oxide stoichiometry and using a SiO2 shell to induce strain in the VOx particles, effectively reducing the IMT temperature.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jingming Zheng, Zhiqin Ying, Zhenhai Yang, Zedong Lin, He Wei, Li Chen, Xi Yang, Yuheng Zeng, Xiaofeng Li, Jichun Ye
Summary: Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells have made rapid advancements. The recombination layer connecting top and bottom sub-cells plays a critical role in improving efficiency. Researchers have developed a new perovskite/tunnel oxide passivating contact silicon tandem cell with a tunneling recombination layer composed of boron- and phosphorus-doped polycrystalline silicon. The device achieves an efficiency of 29.2% and retains 85% of its initial efficiency after 500 hours. The study also provides insights into carrier transport and tunneling mechanisms, offering guidance for designing high-efficiency tandem solar cells.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Joshua Zheyan Soo, Asim Riaz, Felipe Kremer, Frank Brink, Chennupati Jagadish, Hark Hoe Tan, Siva Karuturi
Summary: A two-step method for synthesizing high-performing NiFeCo hydroxide electrocatalysts is presented, where cobalt is introduced into the as-synthesized NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) using a solution corrosion approach. The cobalt modification significantly reduces charge transfer resistance and increases the catalyst turnover frequency while maintaining the integrity of the NiFe LDH layer. The optimized precursor concentration plays a crucial role in achieving high current densities.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Doudou Zhang, Haobo Li, Haijiao Lu, Zongyou Yin, Zelio Fusco, Asim Riaz, Karsten Reuter, Kylie Catchpole, Siva Karuturi
Summary: This study fabricates a highly active ternary metal (hydro)oxide OER catalyst and uses machine learning methods to analyze its activity mechanism, demonstrating that adding Fe and Co can reduce overpotential and enhance activity. This study provides new insights into the activity mechanism of ternary metal (hydro)oxide amorphous catalysts.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
