The role of stacking faults for the formation of shunts during potential‐induced degradation of crystalline Si solar cells

Naumann, Volker; Lausch, Dominik; Graff, Andreas; Werner, Martina; Swatek, Sina; Bauer, Jan; Hähnel, Angelika; Breitenstein, O.; Großer, Stephan; Bagdahn, J.; Hagendorf, Christian

doi:10.1002/pssr.201307090

Cited by 100 publications

(81 citation statements)

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“…Mechanistic aspects of PID occurring in conventional crystalline silicon films have been studied by Neumann and coworkers [5]. PID is understood to largely involve Na + migration toward the Si, especially interacting with stacking faults in silicon, leading to failure of the p-n junction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interlaboratory Study to Determine Repeatability of the Damp-Heat Test Method for Potential-Induced Degradation and Polarization in Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Modules

Hacke

Terwilliger

Glick

et al. 2015

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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Abstract-To test reproducibility of a technical specification under development for potential-induced degradation (PID) and polarization, three crystalline silicon module types were distributed in five replicas each to five laboratories. Stress tests were performed in environmental chambers at 60°C, 85% relative humidity, 96 h, and with module nameplate system voltage applied. Results from the modules tested indicate that the test protocol can discern susceptibility to PID according to the pass/fail criteria with acceptable consistency from lab to lab; however, areas for improvement are indicated to achieve better uniformity in temperature and humidity on the module surfaces. In the analysis of variance of the results, 6% of the variance was attributed to laboratory influence, 34% to module design, and 60% to variability in test results within a given design. Testing with the additional factor of illumination with ultraviolet light slowed or arrested the degradation. Testing at 25°C with aluminum foil as the module ground was also examined for comparison. The foil, as tested, did not itself achieve consistent contact to ground at all surfaces; but methods to ensure more consistent grounding were found and proposed. The rates of degradation in each test are compared and details affecting the rates are discussed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interlaboratory Study to Determine Repeatability of the Damp-Heat Test Method for Potential-Induced Degradation and Polarization in Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Modules

Hacke

Terwilliger

Glick

et al. 2015

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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“…누설 전류에 의 하여 Na 이온이 태양전지 표면까지 이동하게 되는 상 황을 예상할 수 있고 이 관점에서 Na 이온의 PID 영향 성에 대한 연구가 진행되고 있다. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19] J. Bauer, V. Naumann 등은 모듈에 전압을 인가한 후 Time-of-flight Secondary ion mass spectroscopy(ToF-SIMS)를 이용하여 PID 이후 Na 이온에 의해 에미터 특 성이 변할 수 있음을 제안하였다. ( Fig.…”

Section: )unclassified

Potential Induced Degradation(PID) of Crystalline Silicon Solar Modules

Bae¹,

Oh²,

Kim³

et al. 2014

Korean. J. Mater. Res.

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The use of solar energy generation is steadily increasing, and photovoltaic modules are connected in series to generate higher voltage and power. However, solar panels are exposed to high-voltage stress (up to several hundreds of volts) between grounded module frames and the solar cells. Frequent high-voltage stress causes a power-drop in the modules, and this kind of degradation is called potential induced degradation (PID). Due to PID, a significant loss of power and performance has been reported in recent years. Many groups have suggested how to prevent or reduce PID, and have tried to determine the origin and mechanism of PID. Even so, the mechanism of PID is still unclear. This paper is focused on understanding the PID of crystalline-silicon solar cells and modules. A background for PID, as well as overviews of research on factors accelerating PID, mechanisms involving sodium ions, PID test methods, and possible solutions to the problem of PID, are covered in this paper.

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“…[2][3][4][5][6] This is because the local electrical short-circuiting of the pn-junction in a Si solar cell occurs under high voltage stress, which leads to a substantial reduction in the power of a module.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 The potential induced degradation (PID) of crystalline silicon (Si) solar cells, first observed by Sunpower in 2005, has drawn considerable attention in recent years. [2][3][4][5][6] This is because the local electrical short-circuiting of the pn-junction in a Si solar cell occurs under high voltage stress, which leads to a substantial reduction in the power of a module. 7 Several approaches can be used to prevent PID from cell to module levels.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Well-Controlled PSG Layer on Silicon Solar Cells against Potential Induced Degradation

Chen

et al. 2015

ECS J. Solid State Sci. Technol.

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This study proposes a promising silicon (Si) solar cell structure for reducing the potential induced degradation (PID) of crystalline Si solar cells. Phosphorous silicate glass (PSG) layers were carefully designed on an emitter layer, and the thickness of these layers (d PSG ) was controlled by adjusting the diffusion temperature and time. The results show that the power loss remarkably decreased from 31% (d PSG = 0 nm) to 11% (d PSG = 22.3 nm) and further decreased to less than 5% after a 48-h PID test when d PSG In recent years, the number of large photovoltaic (PV) systems for generating high electricity has increased. Such PV systems contain numerous high power PV modules. Therefore, the durability of a PV module is imperative.1 The potential induced degradation (PID) of crystalline silicon (Si) solar cells, first observed by Sunpower in 2005, has drawn considerable attention in recent years. [2][3][4][5][6] This is because the local electrical short-circuiting of the pn-junction in a Si solar cell occurs under high voltage stress, which leads to a substantial reduction in the power of a module. 7Several approaches can be used to prevent PID from cell to module levels. For example, leakage current can be reduced by changing the cover glass and encapsulation materials. [8][9][10] However, applying these approaches increases the cost drastically and may cause the efficiency of solar cells to deteriorate. The soda-lime cover glass and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) are still the most widely used and low-cost packaging materials for solar modules. Strong demand has necessitated the modification of the antireflective layers or emitter layers in PID-resistant solar cells. However, risks should be noticed that an efficiency of a solar cell and throughput may be reduced.This study proposes a promising Si solar cell structure for reducing the PID of solar cells without influencing their efficiency and throughput. Phosphorous silicate glass (PSG) layers were carefully designed on an emitter layer to determine how they affect the efficiencies of solar cells before and after PID. A current-voltage (I-V) tester was used to determine PV parameters. An ellipseometer and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to measure the thicknesses of the PSG layers. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was used to obtain concentration profiles of Si, sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), oxygen, and nitrogen. Figure 1 shows the process flow in this study as well as the structure of a solar cell with a PSG layer. Solar-grade and monocrystalline Si wafers with a size and resistivity of 5 in 2 and 0.5-3.0 ·cm, respectively, were used in this study. These wafers were processed using the following procedures: texturization by using an alkaline solution, P diffusion by using POCl 3 as a precursor, removing PSG layers by using a dilute HF solution (for standard solar cells only), depositing SixNy films as antireflection coatings by using a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and forming front and rear contacts by performing screen-p...

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The role of stacking faults for the formation of shunts during potential‐induced degradation of crystalline Si solar cells

Cited by 100 publications

References 11 publications

Interlaboratory Study to Determine Repeatability of the Damp-Heat Test Method for Potential-Induced Degradation and Polarization in Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Modules

Interlaboratory Study to Determine Repeatability of the Damp-Heat Test Method for Potential-Induced Degradation and Polarization in Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Modules

Potential Induced Degradation(PID) of Crystalline Silicon Solar Modules

A Well-Controlled PSG Layer on Silicon Solar Cells against Potential Induced Degradation

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