Abstract
Photovoltaic (PV) technologies which play a role in PV market are divided into basic two types: wafer-based (1st generation PV) and thin-film cell (2nd generation PV). To the first category belong mainly crystalline silicon (c-Si) cells (both mono- and multi-crystalline). In 2015 around 90% of the solar market belonged to crystalline silicon. To the 2nd generation solar cells belongs thin film amorphous silicon (a-Si) or a combination of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon (a-Si/μc-Si), compound semiconductor cadmium telluride (CdTe), compound semiconductor made of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIS or CIGS) and III–V materials. The PV market for thin film technology is dominated by CdTe and CIGS solar cells. Thin film solar cells’ share for all thin film technologies was only 10% in 2015. New emerging technologies, called 3rd generation solar cells, remain the subject of extensive R&D studies but have not been used in the PV market, so far. In this review the best laboratory 1st and 2nd generation solar cells that were recently achieved are described. The scheme of the layer structure and energy band diagrams will be analyzed in order to explain the boost of their efficiency with reference to the earlier standard designs.
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