Distribution of silicon in the aluminum matrix for rear passivated solar cells

Abstract

Solar cell concepts with passivated, locally contacted rear side have gained much interest over the last years due to the development of advanced passivation techniques. However, there are still open questions regarding the understanding of the local Al-Si contact formation and its influence on the local back-surface-field formation for industrial screen-printed aluminum pastes. In this work we show that the geometry of the rear pattern (contact size and contact spacing) strongly influences the Al-Si interaction in the local contact openings: Si diffuses in Al through narrow dielectric barrier openings and spreads laterally to a determined limit determined by the firing temperature. We found that the contact spacing can affect the tendency for formation of Kirkendall voids below the Al-Si contacts instead of an eutectic layer. When decreasing the contact spacing and therefore the overlap of Al on each side of the local opening, the melt saturates faster and the formation of a deep (high-quality) local back-surface-field is increased. This may minimize the presence of voids. This physical observation helps on the design of the rear pattern for rear passivated solar cells and gives further understanding of the Al-Si interaction during the firing process. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.