Impurity photovoltaic effect in crystalline silicon solar cells

Author

Kasai, Hiroto ; Sat, Toshiyuki ; Matsumura, Hideki

Author_Institution

Adv. Inst. of Sci. & Technol., Ishikawa, Japan

fYear

1997

fDate

29 Sep-3 Oct 1997

Firstpage

215

Lastpage

218

Abstract

For effect of impurity traps for efficiency improvement of solar cells (called impurity photovoltaic effect) has been investigated by measuring optical absorption and characteristics of crystalline silicon solar cells. Energy level and spatial position of the impurity traps, and compensation of charges caused by the traps are definite requirements to improve the cell efficiency by the IPV effect under suppression of carrier recombination. Indium is selected as one of the proper impurities that satisfy these requirements in crystalline silicon. For indium introduced crystalline silicon solar cell, it is possible to increase the photocurrent without degrading the values of open circuit voltage. It is concluded that the IPV effect is useful to improve the cell efficiency

Keywords

electron-hole recombination; elemental semiconductors; impurities; indium; photoconductivity; photovoltaic effects; silicon; solar cells; Si:In; carrier recombination suppression; characteristics measurement; charges compensation; crystalline silicon solar cells; efficiency improvement; energy level; impurity photovoltaic effect; impurity traps; impurity traps spatial position; indium; open circuit voltage; optical absorption measurement; photocurrent increase; Absorption; Charge carrier processes; Crystallization; Energy states; Impurities; Indium; Photoconductivity; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic effects; Silicon;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1997., Conference Record of the Twenty-Sixth IEEE

Conference_Location

Anaheim, CA

ISSN

0160-8371

Print_ISBN

0-7803-3767-0

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/PVSC.1997.654067

Filename

654067