Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells
Author: W.R. Fahrner
Publisher: Trans Tech Publications Ltd
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2006-08-15
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3038131024

The world of today must face up to two contradictory energy problems: on the one hand, there is the sharply growing consumer demand in countries such as China and India. On the other hand, natural resources are dwindling. Moreover, many of those countries which still possess substantial gas and oil supplies are politically unstable. As a result, renewable natural energy sources have received great attention. Among these, solar-cell technology is one of the most promising candidates. However, there still remains the problem of the manufacturing costs of such cells. Many attempts have been made to reduce the production costs of “conventional” solar cells (manufactured from monocrystalline silicon using diffusion methods) by instead using cheaper grades of silicon, and simpler pn-junction fabrication. That is the ‘hero’ of this book; the heterojunction solar cell.

Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells
Author: Wolfgang R. Fahrner
Publisher:
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2006
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

The world of today must face up to two contradictory energy problems: on the one hand, there is the sharply growing consumer demand in countries such as China and India. On the other hand, natural resources are dwindling. Moreover, many of those countries which still possess substantial gas and oil supplies are politically unstable. As a result, renewable natural energy sources have received great attention. Among these, solar-cell technology is one of the most promising candidates. However, there still remains the problem of the manufacturing costs of such cells. Many attempts have been made to reduce the production costs of "conventional" solar cells (manufactured from monocrystalline silicon using diffusion methods) by instead using cheaper grades of silicon, and simpler pn-junction fabrication. That is the 'hero' of this book; the heterojunction solar cell.

Amorphous Silicon / Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Amorphous Silicon / Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells
Author: Wolfgang Rainer Fahrner
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 119
Release: 2013-04-23
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 364237039X

Amorphous Silicon/Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells deals with some typical properties of heterojunction solar cells, such as their history, the properties and the challenges of the cells, some important measurement tools, some simulation programs and a brief survey of the state of the art, aiming to provide an initial framework in this field and serve as a ready reference for all those interested in the subject. This book helps to “fill in the blanks” on heterojunction solar cells. Readers will receive a comprehensive overview of the principles, structures, processing techniques and the current developmental states of the devices. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang R. Fahrner is a professor at the University of Hagen, Germany and Nanchang University, China.

Physics and Technology of Amorphous-Crystalline Heterostructure Silicon Solar Cells

Physics and Technology of Amorphous-Crystalline Heterostructure Silicon Solar Cells
Author: Wilfried G. J. H. M. van Sark
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 588
Release: 2011-11-16
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3642222757

Today’s solar cell multi-GW market is dominated by crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafer technology, however new cell concepts are entering the market. One very promising solar cell design to answer these needs is the silicon hetero-junction solar cell, of which the emitter and back surface field are basically produced by a low temperature growth of ultra-thin layers of amorphous silicon. In this design, amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) constitutes both „emitter“ and „base-contact/back surface field“ on both sides of a thin crystalline silicon wafer-base (c-Si) where the electrons and holes are photogenerated; at the same time, a-Si:H passivates the c-Si surface. Recently, cell efficiencies above 23% have been demonstrated for such solar cells. In this book, the editors present an overview of the state-of-the-art in physics and technology of amorphous-crystalline heterostructure silicon solar cells. The heterojunction concept is introduced, processes and resulting properties of the materials used in the cell and their heterointerfaces are discussed and characterization techniques and simulation tools are presented.

Heterojunction Solar Cells (a-Si/c-Si)

Heterojunction Solar Cells (a-Si/c-Si)
Author: Thomas Mueller
Publisher: Logos Verlag Berlin GmbH
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2009
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3832522913

The main focus of the present work is related to the optimization of heterojunction solar cells. The key roles in obtaining high efficient heterojunction solar cells are mainly the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of very low defect layers, and the sufficient surface passivation of all interfaces. In heterojunction solar cells, the a-Si: H/c-Si hetero-interface is of significant importance, since the hetero-interface characteristics directly affect the junction properties and thus solar cell efficiency. In this work, the deposition and film properties of various hydrogenated amorphous silicon alloys, such as a-SiC: H, a-SiO_x: H, and muc-Si: H (standard a-Si: H is used as reference), are employed. Special attention is paid to (i) the front and back surface passivation of the bulk material by high-quality wide-gap amorphous silicon suboxides (a-SiO_x: H), and (ii) the influence of wide-gap high-quality a-Si- and muc-Si-based alloys for use as emitter and back-surface-

High Efficiency Silicon Solar Cells

High Efficiency Silicon Solar Cells
Author: Martin A. Green
Publisher: Trans Tech Publications Ltd
Total Pages: 237
Release: 1987-01-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3035739641

The early chapters comprehensively review the optical and transport properties of silicon. Light trapping is described in detail. Limits on the efficiency of silicon cells are discussed as well as material requirements necessary to approach these limits. The status of current approaches to passifying surfaces, contacts and bulk regions is reviewed. The final section of the book describes the most practical approaches to the fabrication of high-efficiency cells capable of meeting the efficiency targets for both concentrated and non-concentrated sunlight, including a discussion of design and processing approaches for non-crystalline silicon.

Silicon Based Thin Film Solar Cells

Silicon Based Thin Film Solar Cells
Author: Roberto Murri
Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers
Total Pages: 524
Release: 2013-03-20
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 160805456X

Silicon Based Thin Film Solar Cells explains concepts related to technologies for silicon (Si) based photovoltaic applications. Topics in this book focus on ‘new concept’ solar cells. These kinds of cells can make photovoltaic power production an economically viable option in comparison to the bulk crystalline semiconductor technology industry. A transition from bulk crystalline Si solar cells toward thin-film technologies reduces usage of active material and introduces new concepts based on nanotechnologies. Despite its importance, the scientific development and understanding of new solar cells is not very advanced, and educational resources for specialized engineers and scientists are required. This textbook presents the fundamental scientific aspects of Si thin films growth technology, together with a clear understanding of the properties of the material and how this is employed in new generation photovoltaic solar cells. The textbook is a valuable resource for graduate students working on their theses, young researchers and all people approaching problems and fundamental aspects of advanced photovoltaic conversion.

Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells

Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells
Author: Arvind Shah
Publisher: EPFL Press
Total Pages: 472
Release: 2010-08-19
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9781420066746

Photovoltaic technology has now developed to the extent that it is close to fulfilling the vision of a "solar-energy world," as devices based on this technology are becoming efficient, low-cost and durable. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of thin-film silicon, a prevalent PV material, in terms of its semiconductor nature, starting out with the physical properties, but concentrating on device applications. A special emphasis is given to amorphous silicon and microcrystalline silicon as photovoltaic materials, along with a model that allows these systems to be physically described in the simplest manner possible, thus allowing the student or scientist/engineer entering the field of thin-film electronics to master a few basic concepts that are distinct from those in the field of conventional semiconductors. The main part of the book deals with solar cells and modules by illustrating the basic functioning of these devices, along with their limitations, design optimization, testing and fabrication methods. Among the manufacturing processes discussed are plasma-assisted and hot-wire deposition, sputtering, and structuring techniques.

High-Efficient Low-Cost Photovoltaics

High-Efficient Low-Cost Photovoltaics
Author: Vesselinka Petrova-Koch
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2009
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3540793585

A bird's-eye view of the developmental trends and problems of recent photovoltaics is presented. The worldwide effort to develop high-efficiency low-cost PV modules, making use of most efficient solar cells and clever low-cost solar concentrators is described.

Green Energy

Green Energy
Author: Suman Lata Tripathi
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 640
Release: 2021-02-17
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1119760763

Like most industries around the world, the energy industry has also made, and continues to make, a long march toward “green” energy. The science has come a long way since the 1970s, and renewable energy and other green technologies are becoming more and more common, replacing fossil fuels. It is, however, still a struggle, both in terms of energy sources keeping up with demand, and the development of useful technologies in this area. To maintain the supply for electrical energy, researchers, engineers and other professionals in industry are continuously exploring new eco-friendly energy technologies and power electronics, such as solar, wind, tidal, wave, bioenergy, and fuel cells. These technologies have changed the concepts of thermal, hydro and nuclear energy resources by the adaption of power electronics advancement and revolutionary development in lower manufacturing cost for semiconductors with long time reliability. The latest developments in renewable resources have proved their potential to boost the economy of any country. Green energy technology has not only proved the concept of clean energy but also reduces the dependencies on fossil fuel for electricity generation through smart power electronics integration. Also, endless resources have more potential to cope with the requirements of smart building and smart city concepts. A valuable reference for engineers, scientists, chemists, and students, this volume is applicable to many different fields, across many different industries, at all levels. It is a must-have for any library.