• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.270-270
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• 2009

The surface texturing technology is one of the methods to improve the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cell. This process reduced the reflectance at the surface by the so-called double bounce effect and increased the light trapping. Among these surface texturing technology, the laser texturing is effective for multi-crystalline silicon solar cells which have random crystallographic directions. We investigated the characteristics of laser processing on the surface of the multi-crystalline silicon solar cells using the fiber laser.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.41-47
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• 2014

Extensive investigation on silicon based thin film reveals a wide range of film characteristics, from low optical gap to high optical gap, from amorphous to micro-crystalline silicon etc. Fabrication of single junction, tandem and triple junction solar cell with suitable materials, indicate that fabrication of solar cell of a relatively moderate efficiency is possible with a better light induced stability. Due to these investigations, various competing materials like wide band gap silicon carbide and silicon oxide, low band gap micro-crystalline silicon and silicon germanium etc were also prepared and applied to the solar cells. Such a multi-junction solar cell can be a technologically promising photo-voltaic device, as the external quantum efficiency of such a cell covers a wider spectral range.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.317-321
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• 2019

We investigated the characteristics of nano crystalline silicon(nc-Si) thin-film solar cells on graphite substrates. Amorphous silicon(a-Si) thin-film solar cells on graphite plates show low conversion efficiency due to high surface roughness, and many recombination by dangling bonds. In previous studies, we deposited barrier films by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) on graphite plate to reduce surface roughness and achieved ~7.8 % cell efficiency. In this study, we fabricated nc-Si thin film solar cell on graphite in order to increase the efficiency of solar cells. We achieved 8.45 % efficiency on graphite plate and applied this to nc-Si on graphite sheet for flexible solar cell applications. The characterization of the cell is performed with external quantum efficiency(EQE) and current density-voltage measurements(J-V). As a result, we obtain ~8.42 % cell efficiency in a flexible solar cell fabricated on a graphite sheet, which performance is similar to that of cells fabricated on graphite plates.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.250-253
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• 2007

An evaporated Ti/Pd/Ag contact system is most widely used to make high-efficiency silicon solar cells, however, the system is not cost effective due to expensive materials and vacuum techniques. Commercial solar cells with screen-printed contacts formed by using Ag paste suffer from a low fill factor and a high shading loss because of high contact resistance and low aspect ratio. Low-cost Ni and Cu metal contacts have been formed by using electroless plating and electroplating techniques to replace the Ti/Pd/Ag and screen-printed Ag contacts. Ni/Cu alloy is plated on a silicon substrate by electro-deposition of the alloy from an acetate electrolyte solution, and nickel-silicide formation at the interface between the silicon and the nickel enhances stability and reduces the contact resistance. It was, therefore, found that nickel-silicide was suitable for high-efficiency solar cell applications. The Ni contact was formed on the front grid pattern by electroless plating followed by anneal ing at $380{\sim}400^{\circ}C$ for $15{\sim}30$ min at $N_{2}$ gas to allow formation of a nickel-silicide in a tube furnace or a rapid thermal processing(RTP) chamber because nickel is transformed to NiSi at $380{\sim}400^{\circ}C$. The Ni plating solution is composed of a mixture of $NiCl_{2}$ as a main nickel source. Cu was electroplated on the Ni layer by using a light induced plating method. The Cu electroplating solution was made up of a commercially available acid sulfate bath and additives to reduce the stress of the copper layer. The Ni/Cu contact was found to be well suited for high-efficiency solar cells and was successfully formed by using electroless plating and electroplating, which are more cost effective than vacuum evaporation. In this paper, we investigated low-cost Ni/Cu contact formation by electroless and electroplating for crystalline silicon solar cells.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.350-355
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• 2009

The crysralline silicon solar cell where the solar cell market grows rapidly is occupying of about 85% or more high efficiency and low cost endeavors many crystalline solar cells. The fabricaion process of high efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells necessitate complicated fabrication processes and Ti/Pd/AG contact, This metal contacts have only been used in limited areas in spite of their good srability and low contact resistance because of expensive materials and process. Commercial solar cells with screen-printed solar cells formed by using Ag paste suffer from loe fill factor and high contact resistance and low aspect ratio. Ni and Cu metal contacts have been formed by using electroless plating and light-induced electro plating techniques to replace the Ti/Pd/Ag and screen-printed Ag contacts. Copper and Silver can be plated by electro & light-induced plating method. Light-induced plating makes use the photovoltaic effect of solar cell to deposit the metal on the front contact. The cell is immersed into the electrolytic plating bath and irradiated at the front side by light source, which leads to a current density in the front side grid. Electroless plated Ni/ Electro&light-induced plated Cu/ Light-induced plated Ag contact solar cells result in an energy conversion efficiency of 16.446 % on 0.2~0.6${\Omega}$ cm, $20{\times}20mm^2$, CZ(Czochralski) wafer.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.375-379
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• 2015

A proper estimate of solar cell efficiency is of great importance for the feasibility analysis of solar cell power plant development. Since solar cell efficiency depends on temperature, several methods have been introduced to measure it by operating temperature modulation. However, the methods either rely on the external environment or need expensive equipment. In this paper, a thermoelectric module was used to control the operating temperature of crystalline silicon solar cells effectively and precisely over a wide range. The output characteristics of crystalline silicon solar cells in response to operating temperatures from $-5^{\circ}C$ to $100^{\circ}C$ were investigated experimentally. Their efficiencies decreased as the temperature rose, since the decrease in the open circuit voltage and fill factor exceeded the increase in the short circuit current. The maximum power temperature coefficient of the single crystalline solar cell was more sensitive to temperature change than that of the polycrystalline solar cell.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.295-298
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• 2007

Reduction of optical losses in crystalline silicon solar cells by surface modification is one of the most important issues of silicon photovoltaics. Porous Si layers on the front surface of textured Si substrates have been investigated with the aim of improving the optical losses of the solar cells, because an anti-reflection coating(ARC) and a surface passivation can be obtained simultaneously in one process. We have demonstrated the feasibility of a very efficient porous Si ARC layer, prepared by a simple, cost effective, electrochemical etching method. Silicon p-type CZ (100) oriented wafers were textured by anisotropic etching in sodium carbonate solution. Then, the porous Si layers were formed by electrochemical etching in HF solutions. After that, the properties of porous Si in terms of morphology, structure and reflectance are summarized. The structure of porous Si layers was investigated with SEM. The formation of a nanoporous Si layer about 100nm thick on the textured silicon wafer result in a reflectance lower than 5% in the wavelength region from 500 to 900nm. Such a surface modification allows improving the Si solar cell characteristics. An efficiency of 13.4% is achieved on a monocrystalline silicon solar cell using the electrochemical technique.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.90-94
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• 2022

The screen-printing method is the most mature solar cell fabrication technology, which has the advantage of being faster and simpler process than other printing technology. A front metallization printed through screen printing influences the efficiency and manufacturing cost of solar cell. Recent technology development of crystalline silicon solar cell is proceeding to reduce the manufacturing cost while improving the efficiency. Therefore, screen printing requires process development to reduce a line width of an electrode and decrease shading area. In this paper, we will discuss the development trend and prospects of screen-printing metallization using metal paste, which is currently used in manufacturing commercial crystalline silicon solar cells.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.135-139
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• 2014

Different power output of solar cells can be observed at high-temperature regions such as desert areas. In this study, performance dependence on operating temperature of crystalline silicon solar cells with different emitter types was analyzed. Based on the light current-voltage (LIV) measurement, temperature coefficients of short-circuit current density ($J_{SC}$), open-circuit voltage ($V_{OC}$), fill factor (FF) and power conversion efficiency were measured and compared for two groups of crystalline silicon solar cells with different emitter types. One group had homogeneously doped (conventional) emitter and another selectively doped (selective) emitter. Varying the operating temperature from 25 to 40, 60, and $80^{\circ}C$, LIV characteristics of the cells were measured and the properties of saturation current densities ($J_0$) were extracted from dark current-voltage (DIV) curve. From the DIV data, effect of temperature on the performance of the solar cells with different electrical structures for the emitter was analyzed. Increasing the temperature, both emitter structures showed a slight increase in $J_{SC}$ and a rapid degradation of $V_{OC}$. FF and power conversion efficiency also decreased with the increasing temperature. The degrees of $J_{SC}$ increase and $V_{OC}$ degradation for two groups were compared and explained. Also, FF change was explained by series and shunt resistances from the LIV data. It was concluded that the degradation of solar cells shows different values at different temperatures depending on the emitter type of solar cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2007.02a
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• pp.44-44
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• 2007