Download or read book Low Cost Manufacturing of Light Trapping Features on Multi crystalline Silicon Solar Cells written by Amine Berrada Sounni and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An experimental study was conducted in order to determine low cost methods to improve the light trapping ability of multi-crystalline solar cells. We focused our work on improving current wet etching methods to achieve the desired light trapping features which consists in micro-scale trenches with parabolic cross-sectional profiles with a target aspect ratio of 1.0. The jet etching with a hard mask method, which consists in impinging a liquid mixture of hydrofluoric, nitric and acetic acids through the opening of hard mask, was developed. First, a computational fluid dynamics simulation was conducted to determine the desired jet velocity and angle to be used in our experiments. We find that using a jet velocity of 3 m/s and a jetting angle of 45° yields the necessary flow characteristics for etching high aspect ratio features. Second, we performed experiments to determine the effect of jet etching using a photo-resist mask and thermally grown silicon oxide mask on multiple silicon substrates : 100, 110, 111 and multi-crystalline silicon. Compared to a baseline of etching with no jet, we find that the jet etching process can improve the light trapping ability of the baseline features by improving their aspect ratio up to 65.2% and their light trapping ability up to 38.1%. The highest aspect ratio achieved using the jet etching process was 0.62. However, it must be noted that the repeatability of the results was not consistent: significant variations in the results of the same experiment occurred, making the jet etching process promising but difficult to control. Finally, we performed a cost analysis in order to determine the minimum efficiency that a jet etching process would have to achieve to be cost competitive and its corresponding features aspect ratio. We find that a minimum cell efficiency of 16.63% and feature aspect ratios of 0.57 are necessary for cost competitiveness with current solar cell manufacturing technology.
Download or read book Novel Light Trapping Techniques for Silicon Solar Cells written by Ahmed Emad ElDean ElSayed Khalifa and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Thin-film silicon photovoltaic (PV) solar cells have attracted significant interest for decades due to the increasing demand for clean and sustainable energy resources. Further reduction of the cost of materials and manufacturing processes is required to reach the grid parity where the cost of electricity from solar PV cells is equal to the cost of other nonrenewable resources. Crystalline and thin-film silicon solar cells are anticipated to continue to be one of the dominant solar PV cell technologies. This anticipation is due to the abundance of silicon and the successful history of a continuous drop in cost in silicon-based PV cells. In this thesis, several designs were investigated to enhance absorption of sunlight in the active layers of silicon-based solar cells. In the first design, a plasmonic enhancement to silicon solar cells using (Titanium nitride) TiN as a replacement for silver is studied. In the second, a new design for tandem thin-film silicon solar cells is proposed using a periodic layer between the two subcells. Finally, a low-cost easily fabricated nanocone facial textures is proposed and showed promising experimental and simulation antireflection properties. 3D electromagnetic analysis was performed using finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations to all structures and 3D Device simulations were additionally used to study the tandem cell structure. These contributions which were published are believed to contribute towards achieving high efficiency and cost-effective solar cells.
Download or read book Texturization and Light Trapping in Silicon Solar Cells written by U. Gangopadhyay and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reduction of optical losses in both mono and multicrystalline silicon solar cells by surface texturing is one of the important issues of modern silicon photovoltaics. Texturing of the front surface of silicon solar cells has been modeled and analysed with reference to the reduction in reflection co-efficient and increase in optical trapping. Significant enhancement in open circuit voltage and short circuit current has been achieved through such texturing of the front surface of mono-silicon solar cells. A proper optimisation of texture angle appears to be important for the best performance of the solar cells. An alternative way of reducing the surface reflection and enhancement of the cell parameters is to produce to passive front surface porous silicon layer. An analysis of the characteristics of a porous silicon layer shows that the morphology of the layer is an important design parameter. To realise the structures in practice, several methods are available, but many of this method are either not cost effective or commercially non available. In order to achieve good uniformity of pyramidal textured structure of the silicon surface, a mixture of NaOH/KOH and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is generally used for texturization of mono crystalline solar cells. However, due to high cost of IPA, there is always search for alternative source. This source should not only be cost effective but should also result in reduced interfacial energy between silicon and ionised electrolyte chemical solution to achieve sufficient wet-ability for the silicon surface in order to enhance pyramid nucleation. Different novel texturization techniques for monocrystalline silicon are descried in this chapter including solar cells performance. For multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar cells, the standard alkaline solution of NaOH/KOH does not produced textured surface of good quality so as to give satisfactory open circuit voltage and efficiency. This is because of grain boundary delineation with step formed between successive grains of different orientations. Different novel texturization techniques for multicrystalline silicon are also included in this book including solar cells performance.
Download or read book Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells written by Arvind Victor Shah and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2010-08-19 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Photovoltaic technology has now developed to the extent that it is close to fulfilling the vision of a "solar-energy world," as devices based on this technology are becoming efficient, low-cost and durable. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of thin-film silicon, a prevalent PV material, in terms of its semiconductor nature, startin
Download or read book Design and Fabrication of Nanostructures for Light trapping in Ultra thin Solar Cells written by Inès Massiot and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reducing the absorber thickness is an attractive solution to decrease the production cost of solar cells. Furthermore, it allows to reduce the amount of material needed and improve the current collection in the cell. This thesis has been focused on the design of nanostructures to enhance light absorption in very small semiconductor volumes in order to achieve efficient ultra-thin solar cells. First, we have proposed an original light-trapping concept for ultra-thin amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells. A one-dimensional metallic grating is patterned on the front surface of the cell deposited on a metallic mirror. Broadband multi-resonant absorption has been demonstrated for both light polarizations. The metallic grating is also used as an alternative transparent electrode in order to reduce optical losses in the front contact. A detailed analysis of the multi-resonant absorption mechanism has been carried out through numerical calculations. The fabrication and optical characterization of ultra-thin a-Si:H solar cells with metallic gratings have validated the multi-resonant approach.Second, we have proposed a design with a two-dimensional metallic grid as a resonant front contact for very thin (25 nm) gallium arsenide (GaAs) layers. We have shown through the design and fabrication of a proof-of-concept structure the potential of metallic nanogrids to confine efficiently light absorption with an ultra-thin GaAs layer.Finally, advanced light-trapping structures could also allow a thickness reduction of crystalline silicon wafers of a factor 20 to 100 with respect to state-of-the-art cells. We have developed a process to transfer micron-thick epitaxial crystalline silicon (c-Si) layers onto a low-cost host substrate. Inverted nanopyramids have also been fabricated in crystalline silicon in order to achieve a broadband anti-reflection effect. It opens promising perspectives towards the realization of double-sided nanopatterned ultra-thin c-Si cells.
Download or read book McEvoy s Handbook of Photovoltaics written by Soteris Kalogirou and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2017-08-24 with total page 1341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Practical Handbook of Photovoltaics, Third Edition, is a 'benchmark' publication for those involved in the design, manufacture and use of these devices. This fully revised handbook includes brand new sections on smart grids, net metering and the modeling of photovoltaic systems, as well as fully revised content on developments in photovoltaic applications, the economics of PV manufacturing and updated chapters on solar cell function, raw materials, photovoltaic standards, calibration and testing, all with new examples and case studies. The editor has assembled internationally-respected contributors from industry and academia around the world to make this a truly global reference. It is essential reading for electrical engineers, designers of systems, installers, architects, policymakers and physicists working with photovoltaics. - Presents a cast of international experts from industry and academia to ensure the highest quality information from multiple stakeholder perspectives - Covers all things photovoltaics, from the principles of solar cell function and their raw materials, to the installation and design of full photovoltaic systems - Includes case studies, practical examples, and reports on the latest advances and worldwide applications
Download or read book Light Trapping in Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells written by Ulf Blieske and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Introduction to Light Trapping in Solar Cell and Photo detector Devices written by Stephen J. Fonash and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2014-09-15 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New Approaches to Light Trapping in Solar Cell Devices discusses in detail the use of photonic and plasmonic effects for light trapping in solar cells. It compares and contrasts texturing, the current method of light-trapping design in solar cells, with emerging approaches employing photonic and plasmonic phenomena. These new light trapping methods reduce the amount of absorber required in a solar cell, promising significant cost reduction and efficiency. This book highlights potential advantages of photonics and plasmonics and describes design optimization using computer modeling of these approaches. Its discussion of ultimate efficiency possibilities in solar cells is grounded in a review of the Shockley-Queisser analysis; this includes an in-depth examination of recent analyses building on that seminal work.
Download or read book Light Trapping in Thin Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells written by James A. Rand and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Light Trapping in High efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells written by Johannes Eisenlohr and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Anti reflection and Light Trapping in c Si Solar Cells written by Chetan Singh Solanki and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-06-30 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers essential insights into c-Si based solar cells and fundamentals of reflection, refraction, and light trapping. The basic physics and technology for light trapping in c-Si based solar cells are covered, from traditional to advanced light trapping structures. Further, the book discusses the latest developments in plasmonics for c-Si solar cell applications, along with their future scope and the requirements for further research. The book offers a valuable guide for graduate students, researchers and professionals interested in the latest trends in solar cell technologies.
Download or read book Light Trapping by Micro and Nano hole Texturing of Single crystalline Silicon Solar Cells written by and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Light Trapping and Reflection Control in a Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell written by Patrick Ross Campbell and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Solar Cells and Modules written by Arvind Shah and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-07-16 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book gives a comprehensive introduction to the field of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and modules. In thirteen chapters, it addresses a wide range of topics including the spectrum of light received by PV devices, the basic functioning of a solar cell, and the physical factors limiting the efficiency of solar cells. It places particular emphasis on crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, which constitute today more than 90 % of all modules sold worldwide. Describing in great detail both the manufacturing process and resulting module performance, the book also touches on the newest developments in this sector, such as Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCON) and heterojunction modules, while dedicating a major chapter to general questions of module design and fabrication. Overall, it presents the essential theoretical and practical concepts of PV solar cells and modules in an easy-to-understand manner and discusses current challenges facing the global research and development community.
Download or read book Energy Research Abstracts written by and published by . This book was released on 1992-10 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Pigmented Materials for Light Trapping in Thin film Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells written by Jeffrey Ellis Cotter and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Light Trapping in Thin Film Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells written by Javaneh Boroumand Azad and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation presents numerical and experimental studies of a unified light trapping approach that is extremely important for all practical solar cells. A 2D hexagonal Bravais lattice diffractive pattern is studied in conjunction with the verification of the reflection mechanisms of single and double layer anti-reflective coatings in the broad range of wavelength 400 nm - 1100 nm. By varying thickness and conformity, we obtained the optimal parameters which minimize the broadband reflection from the nanostructured crystalline silicon surface over a wide range of angle 0°-65°. While the analytical design of broadband, angle independent anti-reflection coatings on nanostructured surfaces remains a scientific challenge, numerical optimization proves a viable alternative, paving the path towards practical implementation of the light trapping solar cells. A 3 [micrometer] thick light trapping solar cell is modeled in order to predict and maximize combined electron-photon harvesting in ultrathin crystalline silicon solar cells. It is shown that the higher charge carrier generation and collection in this design compensates the absorption and recombination losses and ultimately results in an increase in energy conversion efficiency. Further, 20 [micrometer] and 100 [micrometer] thick functional solar cells with the light trapping scheme are studied. The efficiency improvement is observed numerically and experimentally due to photon absorption enhancement in the light trapping cells with respect to a bare cell of same thickness.
