Degradation of plated silicon solar module due to copper diffusion: The role of capping layer formation and contact adhesion

Phua, Benjamin; Shen, Xiaowei; Hsiao, Pei Chieh; Kong, Charlie; Stokes, Alex; Lennon, Alison

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2020.110638

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Copper metallization can degrade cell performance and the durability of the PV module. 86 A laminate-free design impacts the electricity generation profile and durability of the PV module, which impacts the economic and environmental performance of PV systems. 87 Lead-free alternatives can increase costs and elevate temperatures for soldering, which can cause thermomechanical stress and breakage of the silicon wafer during manufacturing.…”

Section: Design For Circularitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Circular Economy Implications of Solar Energy in a Decarbonized U.S. Grid

Heath

Ravikumar

Silvana

et al. 2022

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Section: Design For Circularitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Circular Economy Implications of Solar Energy in a Decarbonized U.S. Grid

Heath

Ravikumar

Silvana

et al. 2022

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“…For alternative metallisation schemes where selective laser ablation is used to form the opening for a metal contact grid, these simulations suggest that smaller and uniform‐sized pyramids can result in more uniform ablation of the SiN x ARC for contact formation. Recent studies have highlighted that non‐uniform laser ablation can reduce the adhesion of plated metallisation 16 and impact module durability 7 …”

Section: Simulation Of Laser Irradiation On Textured Sinx/si Surfacesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nanosecond and picosecond laser ablation has been successfully deployed to selectively remove dielectric layers on Si solar cells for narrow contact openings of <15 μm in width which are subsequently metallised 1–7 . The high spatial accuracy of these lasers has enabled the alignment of ablated openings to pre‐doped regions of selective‐emitter (SE) passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) cells 4,6 and interdigitated back contact cells 8,9 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling picosecond and nanosecond laser ablation for prediction of induced damage on textured SiN_x/Si surfaces of Si solar cells

Shen

Hsiao

Wang

et al. 2021

Progress in Photovoltaics

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This study investigated the laser‐induced damage arising from 266 and 532 nm laser ablation of SiNx films on alkaline textured Si surfaces with nanosecond and picosecond pulse durations using a combination of optical‐thermal simulations and measurements of carrier recombination current density. Simulations predict that the melting depth is limited to within 150 nm of the SiNx/Si surface after 266 nm ps laser irradiation due to the greater absorption in both the SiNx and Si resulting in more direct ablation, while temperatures exceeding the melting temperature of Si are predicted to extend up to 1000 nm into the Si substrate with 532 nm ps pulses leading primarily to spallation. Ablation of the SiNx by 266 nm ps irradiation is predicted to be more homogeneous on smaller sized pyramids due to the increased absorption of double‐bounce reflected light on the pyramid faces. This finding has implications for applications requiring uniform ablation of dielectrics on textured Si surfaces. Ablation of SiNx by the longer wavelength 532 nm ps pulses also increases carrier recombination compared to that incurred with 266 nm ps pulses due to the increased melting depth. Longer ns pulses result in less steep temperature gradients and, for 266 nm pulses, an increased melting depth compared to ps pulses. Consequently, shorter ps UV pulses are preferred for SiNx ablation on Si surfaces due to their reduced laser damage penetration, whereas the less steep temperature gradients resulting from ns 532 nm pulses are beneficial for laser doping to form selective emitters.

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“…Cu is one of the most promising materials for re-placing Ag and viably reducing the SC cost up to ∼100 times while maintaining high electrical conductivity. However, the high diffusion activity of Cu at the Si interface remains a major obstacle that prevents the use of Cu as a contact material for SC, since this can lead to the formation of intermetallic phases of Cu with Si that serve as recombination centres [4], as well as compromise the adhesion to substrate [5] due to a porous structure of the Cu/Si interface [6]. An effective solution of this problem may be the use of a diffusion barrier layer of different metals such as V, Cr, Ti, and others [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Ar Annealing on Diffusion and Thermal Stability of Transition Metal Thin-Film Systems

Orlov¹,

Kruhlov²,

Lozova³

et al. 2022

Metallofiz. Noveishie Tekhnol.

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The processes of diffusion-induced structure and phase formation in nanoscale Ni/Cu/V thin films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering on a Si (100) substrate after annealing in the temperature range of 200-550°С in vacuum (10 −3 Pa) and argon (200 Pa) atmospheres are studied. Thermal stability, diffusion mass transfer of components and changes of phase composition in vacuum and Ar atmospheres are analysed using synchrotron and copper radiation x-ray diffraction (XRD) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Due to the different diffusion mobility of Cu and Ni atoms with the temperatures increase in the studied interval, the two regions with different Ni and Cu concentrations are formed. Grain boundary and bulk mechanisms of Cu and Ni diffusion and the influence of the heat treatment atmosphere are discussed. As shown, annealing in vacuum atmosphere, compared to annealing in argon, results in an increase in the onset temperature of the Cubased solid solution formation by 100°C and a decrease in the concentration of Ni in this solid solution. Thus, upon annealing in vacuum, the thin film maintains thermal stability over a larger temperature range compared with annealing in argon.

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Degradation of plated silicon solar module due to copper diffusion: The role of capping layer formation and contact adhesion

Cited by 14 publications

References 49 publications

Environmental and Circular Economy Implications of Solar Energy in a Decarbonized U.S. Grid

Environmental and Circular Economy Implications of Solar Energy in a Decarbonized U.S. Grid

Modelling picosecond and nanosecond laser ablation for prediction of induced damage on textured SiN_x/Si surfaces of Si solar cells

Effect of Ar Annealing on Diffusion and Thermal Stability of Transition Metal Thin-Film Systems

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Degradation of plated silicon solar module due to copper diffusion: The role of capping layer formation and contact adhesion

Cited by 14 publications

References 49 publications

Environmental and Circular Economy Implications of Solar Energy in a Decarbonized U.S. Grid

Environmental and Circular Economy Implications of Solar Energy in a Decarbonized U.S. Grid

Modelling picosecond and nanosecond laser ablation for prediction of induced damage on textured SiNx/Si surfaces of Si solar cells

Effect of Ar Annealing on Diffusion and Thermal Stability of Transition Metal Thin-Film Systems

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Modelling picosecond and nanosecond laser ablation for prediction of induced damage on textured SiN_x/Si surfaces of Si solar cells