Top-down Aluminum Induced Crystallization for N-type solar cell emitters

Top-down Aluminum Induced Crystallization (TAIC) has been used to form the p+ emitters of n-type solar cells. TAIC is a low temperature process with the potential for very good junction passivation and avoidance of parasitic absorption of amorphous silicon experienced by HIT cells. During experimentation, several crystallization possibilities emerged. The structure of these emitters were determined by Raman spectroscopy, SEM, and TEM. Solar cells were fabricated and measured. Theoretical projections and loss analyses were done by modeling these cells using PC1D. The highest efficiency cell achieved was 7.26% out of a theoretical 8.73%. These cells had no ARC/surface passivation, texturing, or a back surface field.