Development of silicon heterojunction solar cells. Energy, Solar Technology

硅太阳能电池占全球巨大市场的90%以上，而硅的基本特性意味着它很可能在未来许多年成为一项主要技术。制造硅太阳能电池的传统方法包括至少一个高温(&gt；800摄氏度)扩散步骤以形成p-n结。这种高温工艺相对昂贵，并可能导致工艺污染。另一种方法是使用异质结体系结构，即在衬底上沉积具有不同带隙的材料。这可以使太阳能电池的效率比传统的基于扩散的太阳能电池更高。沉积也可以在相对较低的温度下进行，因此这可以导致较低的制造成本。这个博士项目旨在为英国开发一个新的研究领域进行必要的基础工作。我们的目标是开发低成本的工艺路线来制造硅异质结电池。将研究新的沉积工艺，探索用于透明导电电极的新材料。测试单元结构将使用沃里克公司提供的一套技术来表征，包括准稳态光导、光致发光成像和电容-电压测量。工艺将被优化，以最大限度地减少界面陷阱密度，并产生载流子选择接触。本课程将获得有关界面上载流子的复合以及载流子选择接触的物理方面的基本知识。该研究领域的长期目标是生产出比目前效率更高、成本更低的硅基太阳能电池。预计这样的结构一旦成功优化，可能会在未来用作硅基串联单元的基础单元，可能与钙钛矿型顶部单元相结合。该项目与EPSRC的能源主题以及材料技术、材料特性和太阳能等优先领域保持一致。学生将与EPSRC SuperSilicon光伏项目(EP/M024911/1)资助的团队成员密切合作，并将使用EPSRC根据EP/J01768X/2赠款资助的设备。该学生将通过SuperGen太阳能中心成为英国光伏社区的一部分。

Silicon solar cells account for over 90% of an enormous worldwide market, and silicons fundamental properties means it is likely to be a major technology for many years to come. The traditional approach to fabricating a silicon solar cell involves at least one high temperature (>800 degrees Celsius) diffusion step to form a p-n junction. Such high temperature processes are relatively expensive and can result in process contamination. An alternative approach is to use a heterojunction architecture, which involves depositing materials with different bandgaps on the substrate. This can result in solar cells with higher efficiencies than conventional diffusion-based solar cells. Depositions can also be performed at relatively low temperatures and hence this may result in a lower fabrication cost. This PhD project aims to perform underpinning work necessary to develop a new area of research for the UK. We aim to develop low cost processing routes to fabricate silicon heterojunction cells. Novel deposition processes will be investigated and novel materials for the transparent conducting electrodes will be explored. Test cell structures will be characterised using a suite of techniques available in Warwick, including quasi-steady-state photo conductance, photoluminescence imaging, and capacitance-voltage measurements. Processing will be optimised to minimise interface trap densities and to produce carrier-selective contacts. Fundamental knowledge will be gained on the recombination of carriers at interfaces, and the physics of carrier-selective contacts. The long-term aim of the research area is to produce a higher efficiency lower cost silicon-based solar cell than at present. It is expected that such a structure, once successfully optimised, may find a future use as a base cell for a silicon-based tandem cell, perhaps in combination with a perovskite top cell. This project aligns to EPSRC's Energy theme and the priority areas of Materials Technologies, Materials Characterisation, and Solar. The student will work closely with team members funded under the EPSRC SuperSilicon PV project (EP/M024911/1) and will use equipment already funded by EPSRC under grant EP/J01768X/2. The student will become part of the UKs PV community via the Supergen Solar Hub.