Achievement of More Than 25% Conversion Efficiency With Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cell

The crystalline silicon heterojunction structure adopted in photovoltaic modules commercialized as Panasonic's HIT has significantly reduced recombination loss, resulting in greater conversion efficiency. The structure of an interdigitated back contact was adopted with our crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells to reduce optical loss from a front grid electrode, a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layer, and a-Si: H layers as an approach for exceeding the conversion efficiency of 25%. As a result of the improved short-circuit current (J(sc)), we achieved the world's highest efficiency of 25.6% for crystalline silicon-based solar cells under 1-sun illumination (designated area: 143.7 cm(2)).