Inverted Pyramid Morphology Control by Acid Modification and Application for PERC Solar Cells

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• Silicon inverted pyramid (IP) structures are crucial for light trapping in high-efficiency solar cells, reducing reflectance and managing surface recombination.
• The fabrication of IP structures typically involves metal-assisted chemical etching, acid etching, and alkali anisotropic etching.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of acid modification in the preparation of IP structures.
• To evaluate the application of optimized IP textures in passivated emitter and rear solar cells (PERC).

Main Methods:

• Investigated the influence of acid etching on porous silicon morphology during IP preparation.
• Analyzed the effect of acid-modified silicon micron holes on IP opening size.
• Utilized PC1D simulations to assess the performance enhancement of IP-based PERC solar cells.

Main Results:

• Acid modification critically influences porous silicon morphology, which in turn dictates IP structure.
• The opening size of IP structures is primarily determined by acid-processed silicon micron holes.
• PC1D simulations showed that IPs increase short-circuit current density by 1.04 mA/cm² and power conversion efficiency by 0.55%.

Conclusions:

• Acid etching is a decisive step for optimizing IP morphology and controlling feature size.
• Optimized IP textures significantly enhance the performance of PERC solar cells, achieving a simulated efficiency of 23.21%.
• This study provides a pathway for fabricating and applying efficient IP textures in solar cell technology.