Silicon Thin-Film Solar Cells on Glass With Open-Circuit Voltages Above 620 mV Formed by Liquid-Phase Crystallization

Liquid-phase crystallization (LPC) using line-shaped energy sources such as laser or electron beam has proven to be a suitable method to grow large grained high-quality silicon films onto commercially well-available glass substrates. In this study, we compare cw-diode laser-crystallized absorbers with electron beam-crystallized material using backcontacted backjunction solar cells. Furthermore, the influence of the absorber doping concentration thickness on the solar cell performance is studied. Using experimental data obtained on test structures, as well as solar cells and 1-D device simulations, an ideal dopant concentration is determined to be 2 - 6 x 10(16)cm(-3), in combination with an absorber thickness of 10-20 mu m. Finally, we present a slightly modified cell process to reduce the optical losses, which resulted in conversion efficiencies of up to 11.8%.