Point-contact silicon solar cells

A new type of silicon photovoltaic cell designed for high-concentration applications is presented. The device is called the point-contact-cell and shows potential for achieving energy conversion efficiencies in the neighborhood of 28 percent at the design operating point of 500× geometric concentration and 60°C cell temperature. This cell has alternating n and p regions that form a polkadot array on the bottom surface. A two-layermetallization on the bottom provides contact. Initial experimental results have yielded a cell with 20-percent efficiency at a concentration of 88.