Three-dimensional minority-carrier collection channels at shunt locations in silicon solar cells
| Autor: | Mowafak Al-Jassim, Dirk N. Weiss, Steve Johnston, Sachit Grover, Harvey Guthrey, Alain Blosse, Kim M. Jones |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
010302 applied physics
Silicon Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment business.industry Electron beam-induced current Photovoltaic system chemistry.chemical_element Nanotechnology 02 engineering and technology 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Solar energy 01 natural sciences Materials Science(all) chemistry 0103 physical sciences Thermography Scanning transmission electron microscopy Optoelectronics General Materials Science 0210 nano-technology business Nanoscopic scale Shunt (electrical) |
| Zdroj: | Solar Energy. 135:163-168 |
| ISSN: | 0038-092X |
| Popis: | In this contribution, we demonstrate the value of using a multiscale multi-technique characterization approach to study the performance-limiting defects in multi-crystalline silicon (mc-Si) photovoltaic devices. The combination of dark lock-in thermography (DLIT) imaging, electron beam induced current imaging, and both transmission and scanning transmission electron microscopy (TEM/STEM) on the same location revealed the nanoscale origin of the optoelectronic properties of shunts visible at the device scale. Our site-specific correlative approach identified the shunt behavior to be a result of three-dimensional inversion channels around structural defects decorated with oxide precipitates. These inversion channels facilitate enhanced minority-carrier transport that results in the increased heating observed through DLIT imaging. The definitive connection between the nanoscale structure and chemistry of the type of shunt investigated here allows photovoltaic device manufacturers to immediately address the oxygen content of their mc-Si absorber material when such features are present, instead of engaging in costly characterization. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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