Correlative elemental and electrical micro-analysis of laser fired contacts in silicon solar cells
Name
969905281-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
2.01 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
ff2539c3baf7ca58afe592496333cd1c
Author(s)
Yen, Patricia, S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Advisor(s)
Tonio Buonassisi.
Date Issued
2016
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Photovoltaic (PV) energy is an abundant and clean alternative to conventional energy sources, which pose an irreversible threat to the environment. For PV to reach cost parity with conventional energy, advances like laser-fired contacts must be adopted to improve cost levers like solar cell efficiency and industrial throughput. This work examines the relationship between laser-processing on the structure and property of solar cells, with the goal of (1) characterizing the differences between using two lasers simultaneously (double-shot lasing) versus a single laser for LFC processing, and (2) using the new findings to optimize industrial LFC efforts. Electrical properties such as lifetime degradation and contact resistance are evaluated using photoluminescence imaging and transmission line measurements, respectively. LFC structures are studied using scanning electron microscope and elemental mapping tools like micro-X-ray fluorescence microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. For the conditions studied, it is unclear whether double-shot lasing can produce higher-quality LFCs than single-shot lasing, although results suggest that the infrared laser influences electrical properties more than the green laser. For future LFC optimization, the [mu]-XRF maps of elemental distribution may offer a novel way to evaluate LFC formation.
Description
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2016.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 53-62).
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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