Simulation of iron impurity gettering in crystalline silicon solar cells

Abstract

This work discusses the Impurity-to-Efficiency (12E) simulation tool and applet. The 12E simulator models the physics of iron impurity gettering in silicon solar cells during high temperature processing. The tool also includes a device simulator to calculate cell performance after processing. By linking input materials, processing, and cell performance, 12E enables accelerated solar cell optimization. Herein, background information on the economic drivers of solar cell installations and manufacturing are used to introduce the importance of iron impurity engineering. The fundamental physics of gettering and the development of the numerical methods employed by the tool are presented. The development, deployment, and use of the web applet are also discussed.