Abstract
In order to analyze the effects of various sizes of pyramid structure on solar cell characteristics, a pyramid structure was formed on the wafer through various etching processes. In this paper, etching was performed using one-step etching processes such as alkaline solution etching, reactive ion etching (RIE), and metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE), and two-step etching processes such as alkaline solution + MACE and alkaline solution + RIE. The micro-sized pyramid-structured wafers formed using the alkali solution showed higher reflectivity than nano-sized pyramid-structured wafers. Accordingly, it was expected that the characteristics of the cells fabricated with a nano-sized pyramid-structured wafer having low reflectivity would be higher than that of a micro-sized pyramid-structured wafer. However, it was confirmed that the quantum efficiency characteristics in the short wavelength region were higher in the micro-sized pyramid-structured wafers than in the nano-sized pyramid-structured wafers. To confirm the reason for this, surface characteristics were analyzed through the deposition of an emitter layer on a wafer formed in a pyramidal structure. As a result, in the case of the nano-sized pyramid-structured wafer, the sheet resistance characteristics were lower due to the increased depth of the emitter layer in comparison to the micro-sized pyramid-structured wafer. Accordingly, it was determined that the quantum efficiency was degraded as a result of the high recombination rate.
Highlights
Photovoltaic (PV) power generation is a very popular energy resource due to its ecofriendly and infinite nature
One-step etching processes were performed by using the alkali solution method, metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) method, and reactive ion etching (RIE) method
Two-step etching processes were performed by using the alkali solution + MACE methods and alkali solution + RIE
Summary
Photovoltaic (PV) power generation is a very popular energy resource due to its ecofriendly and infinite nature. The current PV market has exceeded 627 GW of accumulated installed capacity in 2019, and this is expected to increase further over time. As PV power generation presents the possibility of making leaps in technology when compared to national investment, it is time to secure various researches and technologies to extract maximum performance as a continuous energy supply source [1]. The main areas of interest in the photovoltaic field can be divided into two. The first area regards the development of high-efficiency solar cells to improve solar power generation efficiency. Various high-efficiency solar cell structures based on c-Si have been proposed. Examples of high-efficiency solar cell technology include: passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
