This article presents a successful laser-powered cofiring process for highly efficient Si solar cells as a more compact and energy-efficient alternative to the conventional firing process in an infrared (IR) lamp-powered heat chamber. The best cell group reaches with laser firing only 0.1% abs lower cell efficiency compared to the best group with conventional firing, demonstrating the industrial potential of this laser firing technology. Adding the laser enhanced contact optimization (LECO) process after firing improves the cell efficiency for laser firing to the level of conventional firing, demonstrating the potential of the combination of the laser firing and the LECO process.
Herein, an inline IR thermography system as an innovative application for real‐time contactless temperature measurement of wafers—both metallized and nonmetallized—during the firing process is successfully realized in an industrial firing furnace as proof of concept and example for a thermography system in a conveyor furnace. As observed by the new system, thermocouples (TCs) seem to measure lower temperature on wafers—especially in combination with TC frames—than wafers exhibit at standard firing conditions (here up to ΔT ≈ 40 K). Furthermore, highly resolved spatial temperature distribution can be successfully measured on the wafer.
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