Title :
The roles of electric fields and illumination levels in passivating the surface of silicon solar cells
Author :
Bai, Yibin ; Phillips, James E. ; Barnett, Allen M.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., Delaware Univ., Newark, DE, USA
fDate :
8/1/1998 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The back surface recombination velocity (BSRV) of operating silicon solar cells has been modulated by an externally applied gate voltage and illumination through a semi-transparent MOS structure. All three voltage bias modes (accumulation, depletion and inversion) of this MOS system are examined. In addition, the effects of gate bias voltage, illumination (or carrier injection level) and oxide charge on the BSRV and solar cell performance are investigated. The effects of electric field and illumination are found to play key roles in achieving a low BSRV. Methods of achieving a low BSRV with this structure are described
Keywords :
MIS devices; electric fields; elemental semiconductors; interface states; passivation; silicon; solar cells; surface recombination; Si; Si solar cells; accumulation mode; back surface recombination velocity; carrier injection level; depletion mode; electric fields; externally applied gate voltage; gate bias voltage; illumination levels; inversion mode; oxide charge; semi-transparent MOS structure; solar cell performance; voltage bias modes; Charge carrier processes; Electrodes; Extraterrestrial measurements; Lighting; MOS capacitors; Passivation; Photovoltaic cells; Silicon; Spontaneous emission; Voltage;
Journal_Title :
Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on
