Fabrication of MOS solar cells using structures Al/TiO2/SiO2/Si

Abstract

The development of solar cells of low cost and high efficiency will have wide application in the context of distributed energy, especially for energy supplying in places isolated and far from the power grid. Moreover, solar cells offer the advantages of not consuming fossil fuel, produce no pollution or environmental contamination, have long life, are resistant to extreme weather conditions, have no moving parts requiring maintenance and they allow also the increase of the installed power by incorporating additional modules. In order to reach utmost performance, the solar cell technology must excel in three key areas: cost reduction, increased efficiency and durability. Aiming at this purpose, MOS solar cells has been receiving great attention due to its mounting simplicity and low cost. The present project is focused on manufacturing, optimization and characterization of MOS solar cells employing an alternative structure of multi layers, of the type Al/TiO2/SiO2/Si. For this purpose, theoretical and experimental studies will be performed on the Al/TiO2/SiO2 structures grown on silicon substrates with large areas (4cm x 4cm), already close to commercial dimensions. MOS solar cell prototypes will be manufactured and characterized, regarding their efficiency, using IxV and CxV measurement equipment and commercial solar simulator. The development steps include the analyses of the photovoltaic parameters (background current, short circuit current, open circuit voltage, fill factor and efficiency) for various conditions and geometry of processing aiming to optimize and obtain the best manufacturing conditions of the MOS solar cells with area up to 80cm2 on 4inches silicon wafers. (AU)