Back-Contact Vertical-Junction Solar Cell
Abstract
The objective of this thesis was to improve the efficiency of silicon solar cells by designing and fabricating a solar cell which synergistically combines the advantages of the interdigitated back-contact solar cell with the advantages of the wedged-channel vertical-junction solar cell. Solar cell designs which combine the two concepts were proposed and evaluated. A final design was chosen which consisted of vertical grooves anisotropically etched from the frontside to the backside of a (110) oriented silicon wafer. The groove side walls etched vertically and the end walls etched on a taper. As the grooves reached the backside, the end walls tapered together forming a small slit where the connections to the back contacts occurred. A theoretical equation relating the groove length, width, and depth was developed. Grooves ranging from 5 um to 100 um wide, and 870 um to 1,140 um long were anisotropically etched into a 300 um thick (110) wafer to verify the equation and determine the optimum groove length and width for the final design.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA230902
Entities
People
- M. W. Carver
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology