DEVELOPMENT OF TITANIUM OXIDE THIN FILM AS ELECTRON SELECTIVE PASSIVATING CONTACT IN N-TYPE SILICON SOLAR CELLS

Date

2024-8-12

Author

Beyraghi, Naser

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Currently, the main concern in the PV technology development is to enhance power conversion efficiency and minimize production costs, with the aim of lowering the levelized cost of electricity to a more affordable level. The emergence of Si-based carrier-selective passivating contacts (CSPCs) concept was a milestone for silicon PV technology to push single-junction solar cell efficiency toward the Shockley-Queisser limit further. Due to their inherent issues, there is growing interest in alternative materials. The objective of this thesis is to optimize and characterize the performance of a solution-processed TiOx thin film intended for use as an ESPC for n-type silicon solar cell applications. Our experimental design is elaborated in two routes. Benefiting the low-temperature processing conditions proposed by the first route, excellent surface passivation (iVoc: 706 mV) and low contact resistivity (𝜌c: 45 mΩ.cm2) can be achieved simultaneously. Moreover, the second route allowed us to achieve an outstanding iVoc of 726 mV and 𝜌c of 8.74 mΩ·cm2 simultaneously through an annealing-free process. The proposed routes, establishing a new benchmark for solution-processed ESPCs that is on par with the state-of-the-art TiOx-based ESPCs deposited by ALD technique, introducing a novel opportunity to advance the development of simple-processed high-efficiency crystalline silicon (c- Si) solar cells. Moreover, we demonstrate a champion cell with an efficiency of 18.55% with a hybrid structure. In addition, to gain a thorough understanding of the underlying mechanism of the impressive achievements, we present comprehensive structural, chemical, optical, and electrical characterizations, which have been evaluated and extensively discussed in this thesis.

Subject Keywords

Titanium Oxide, Electron Selective Passivating Contact, Solution-Processed, Low-Temperature, Annealing-Free

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/111291

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis