Monolithic crystalline silicon solar cells with SiNx layers doped with Tb3+ and Yb3+ rare-earth ions

Abstract

Abstract In this study, we propose the fabrication of monolithic crystalline silicon solar cells with Tb3+ and Yb3+-doped silicon nitride (SiNx) layers by low-cost screen-printing methods. The performances of c-Si solar cells can be enhanced by rare-earth ions doped SiNx layers via the mechanism of spectrum conversion. These SiNx doped and codoped thin films were deposited by reactive magnetron co-sputtering and integrated as the antireflection coating layers in c-Si solar cells. The characterizations of SiNx, SiNx:Tb3+ and SiNx:Tb3+-Yb3+ thin films were conducted by means of photoluminescence, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, Ellipsometry spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared measurements. Their composition and refractive index was optimized to obtain good anti-reflection coating layer for c-Si solar cells. Transmission electron microscopy performs the uniform coatings on the textured emitter of c-Si solar cells. After the metallization process, we demonstrate monolithic c-Si solar cells with spectrum conversion layers, which lead to a relative increase by 1.34% in the conversion efficiency.