• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.328-332
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• 2011

The formation of front metal contact silicon solar cells is required for low cost, low contact resistance to silicon surface. One of the front metal contacts is Ni/Cu plating that it is available to simply and inexpensive production to apply mass production. Ni is shown to be a suitable barrier to Cu diffusion into the silicon. The process of Ni electroless plating on front silicon surface is performed using a chemical bath. Additives and buffer agents such as ammonium chloride is added to maintain the stability and pH control of the bath. Ni deposition rate is found to vary with temperature, time, utilization of bath. The experimental result shown that Ni layer by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and EDX analysis. Finally, plated Ni/Cu contact solar cell result in an efficiency of 17.69% on $2{\times}2\;cm^2$, Cz wafer.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.11
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• pp.905-909
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• 2011

The formation of front metal contact silicon solar cells is required for low cost, low contact resistance to silicon surfaces. One of the available front metal contacts is Ni/Cu plating, which can be mass produced via asimple and inexpensive process. A selective emitter, meanwhile, involves two different doping levels, with higher doping (${\leq}30{\Omega}/sq$) underneath the grid to achieve good ohmic contact and low doping between the grid in order to minimize the heavy doping effect in the emitter. This study describes the formation of a selective emitter and a nickel silicide seed layer for the front metallization of silicon cells. The contacts were thickened by a plated Ni/Cu two-step metallization process on front contacts. The experimental results showed that the Ni layer via SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and EDX (Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) analyses. Finally, a plated Ni/Cu contact solar cell displayed efficiency of 18.10% on a $2{\times}2cm^2$, Cz wafer.

• 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.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.225-229
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• 2009

The front metal contact is one of the most important element influences in efficiency in the silicon solar cell. First of all selective of the material and formation method is important in metal contacts. Commercial solar cells with screen-printed contacts formed by using Ag paste process is simple relatively and mass production is easy. But it suffer from a low fill factor and a high shading loss because of high contact resistance. Besides Ag paste too expensive. because of depends income. This paper applied for Ni/Cu metallization replace for paste of screen printing front metal contact. Low cost Ni and Cu metal contacts have been formed by using electroless plating and electroplating techniques to replace the screen-printed Ag contacts. Ni has been proposed as a suitable silicide for the salicidation process and is expected to replace conventional silicides. Copper is a promising material for the electrical contacts in solar cells in terms of conductivity and cost. In experiments Ni/Cu metal contact applied same grid formation of screen-printed solar cell. And it has variation of different grid spacing. It was verified that the wide spacing of grid finger could increase the series resistance also the narrow spacing of grid finger also implies a grid with a higher density of grid fingers. Through different grid spacing found alteration of efficiency.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.444-445
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• 2009

The metallic contact system of silicon solar cell must have several properties, such as low contact resistance, easy application and good adhesion. Ni is shown to be a suitable barrier to Cu diffusion as well as desirable contact metal to silicon. Nickel monosilicide(NiSi) has been suggested as a suitable silicide due to its lower resistivity, lower sintering temperature and lower layer stress than $TiSi_2$. 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 $0.2\sim0.6\;{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$, $20\;\times\;20\;mm^2$, CZ(Czochralski) wafer.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.575-579
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• 2010

The technologies of Ni/Cu plating contact is attributed to the reduced series resistance caused by a better contact conductivity of Ni with Si and the subsequent electroplating of Cu on Ni. The ability to pattern narrower grid lines for reduced light shading was combined with the lower resistance of a metal silicide contact and an improved conductivity of the plated deposit. This improves the FF (fill factor) as the series resistance is reduced. This is very much requried in the case of low concentrator solar cells in which the series resistance is one of the important and dominant parameter that affect the cell performance. A Selective emitter structure with highly dopeds regions underneath the metal contacts, is widely known to be one of the most promising high-efficiency solution in solar cell processing In this paper the formation of a selective emitter, and the nickel silicide seed layer at the front side metallization of silicon cells is considered. After generating the nickel seed layer the contacts were thickened by Cu LIP (light induced plating) and by the formation of a plated Ni/Cu two step metallization on front contacts. In fabricating a Ni/Cu plating metallization cell with a selective emitter structure it has been shown that the cell efficiency can be increased by at least 0.2%.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.256-264
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• 1999

The performance of the Pt-B/cordierite catalysts (2 wt%) Pt, 70 wt% Alumina, 28 wt%) Ceria and Zirconia, B: base metal) loaded with 6∼12 wt% Mn, Cu, V, Co, Cr and Ba, respectively was studied for partial oxidation of methane reaction and compared with that of Ni loaded catalyst. As a results, it was found that Ba, Co, Cr as well as Ni loaded catalysts showed higher activity for methane partial oxidation of methane than the Mn, Cu and V loaded catalyst. But it was known that catalysts having good activity for methane showed the good activity for coke formation, too. A XRD analysis of the catalyst before and after the reaction using 5 wt% Ni/Al$_2$O$_3$) showed that there were three Ni phases. In these results, it was found that methane oxidation reaction occulted at the front of the catalyst bed consisted of NiAl$_2$O$_4$and NiO and reforming reaction occurred at the rear part of the catalyst bed consisted of reduced Ni.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.1352-1355
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• 2004

We have applied front contact metallization of plated nickel and copper for high efficiency passivated emitter rear contact(PERC) solar cell. Ni is shown to be a suitable barrier to Cu diffusion as well as desirable contact metal to silicon. The plating technique is a preferred method for commercial solar cell fabrication because it is a room temperature process with high growth rates and good morphology. In this system, the electroless plated Ni is utilized as the contact to silicon and the plated Cu serves as the primary conductor layer instead of traditional solution that are based on Ti/Pd/Ag contact system. Experimental results are shown for over 20 % PERC cells with the Plated Ni/Cu contact system for good performance at low cost.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.214-219
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• 2009

In high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells, If high-efficiency solar cells are to be commercialized. It is need to develop superior contact formation method and material that can be inexpensive and simple without degradation of the solar cells ability. For reason of plated metallic contact is not only high metallic purity but also inexpensive manufacture. It is available to apply mass production. Especially, Nickel, Copper and Silver are applied widely in various electronic manufactures as easily formation is available by plating. The metallic contact system of silicon solar cell must have several properties, such as low contact resistance, easy application and good adhesion. Ni is shown to be a suitable barrier to Cu diffusion as well as desirable contact metal to silicon. Nickel monosilicide(NiSi) has been suggested as a suitable silicide due to its lower resistivity, lower sintering temperature and lower layer stress than $TiSi_2$. Copper and Silver can be plated by electro & light-induced plating method. Light-induced plating makes use the photovoltaic effect of solar cell to deposite 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 14.68 % on $0.2{\sim}0.6{\Omega}{\cdot}cm,\;20{\times}20mm^2$, CZ(Czochralski) wafer.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.91.2-91.2
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• 2010

The use of plated front contact for metallization of silicon solar cell may alternative technologies as a screen printed and silver paste contact. This technologies should allow the formation of contact with low contact resistivity a high line conductivity and also reduction of shading losses. The better performance of Ni/Cu contacts is attributed to the reduced series resistance due to better contact conductivity of Ni with Si and subsequent electroplating of Cu on Ni. The ability to pattern narrower grid lines for reduced light shading combined with the lower resistance of a metal silicide contact and improved conductivity of plated deposit. This improves the FF as the series resistance is deduced. This is very much required in the case of low concentrator solar cells in which the series resistance is one of the important and dominant parameter that affect the cell performance. A selective emitter structure with highly dopes regions underneath the metal contacts, is widely known to be one of the most promising high-efficiency solution in solar cell processing. This paper using selective emitter structure technique, fabricated Ni/Cu plating metallization cell with a cell efficiency of 17.19%.