Optimization of Doping Levels and Emitter Thickness in Silicon Solar Cells to Minimize Auger Recombination Effects

Abstract

This study delves into the pervasive role of Auger recombination as an intrinsic carrier recombination process in silicon solar cells, critically influencing their performance parameters such as short circuit current density, open circuit voltage, efficiency, and fill factor. The objective is to attenuate this effect by optimizing the doping level and the emitter's scattering depth in an N+PP+-type silicon solar cell. The COMSOL software was utilized for simulations, assessing the impacts of varied doping levels and emitter thicknesses. It was observed that Auger recombination effects are insignificant at low doping levels but become predominant at higher doping levels, particularly with increased emitter thicknesses. Notably, a substantial enhancement in performance parameters was achieved by reducing the emitter thickness to approximately 0.4-0.6 µm and heavily doping the emitter surface to the order of ~10 20 cm -3 . The optimal performance was realized at a thickness of 0.4 µm, and it was found that the implications of the Auger recombination effect surpassed those of the Shockley-Read-Hall recombination effects. These findings bear significant implications for optimizing solar cell design, enabling the production of solar panels with superior electrical efficiency.