An experimental investigation of spin-on doping optimization for enhanced electrical characteristics in silicon homojunction solar cells: Proof of concept
The pursuit of enhancing the performance of silicon-based solar cells is pivotal for the progression of solar photovoltaics as the most potential renewable energy technologies. Despite the existence of sophisticated methods like diffusion and ion implantation for doping phosphorus into p-type silico...
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Elsevier Ltd
2025
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| author | Mohamad I.S. Ker P.J. Chelvanathan P. Norizan M.N. Yap B.K. Tiong S.K. Amin N. |
| author2 | 55898400600 |
| author_facet | 55898400600 Mohamad I.S. Ker P.J. Chelvanathan P. Norizan M.N. Yap B.K. Tiong S.K. Amin N. |
| author_sort | Mohamad I.S. |
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| content_provider | Universiti Tenaga Nasional |
| content_source | UNITEN Institutional Repository |
| continent | Asia |
| country | Malaysia |
| description | The pursuit of enhancing the performance of silicon-based solar cells is pivotal for the progression of solar photovoltaics as the most potential renewable energy technologies. Despite the existence of sophisticated methods like diffusion and ion implantation for doping phosphorus into p-type silicon wafers in the semiconductor industry, there is a compelling need to research spin-on doping techniques, especially in the context of tandem devices, where fabricating the bottom cell demands meticulous control over conditions. The primary challenge with existing silicon cell fabrication methods lies in their complexity, cost, and environmental concerns. Thus, this research focuses on the optimization of parameters, such as, deposition of the spin on doping layer, emitter thickness (Xj), and dopant concentration (ND) to maximize solar cell efficiency. We utilized both fabrication and simulation techniques to delve into these factors. Employing silicon wafer thickness of 625 ?m, the study explored the effects of altering the count of dopant layers through the spin-on dopant (SOD) technique in the device fabrication. Interestingly, the increase of the dopant layers from 1 to 4 enhances efficiency, whereby, further addition of 6 and 8 layers worsens both series and shunt resistances, affecting the solar cell performance. The peak efficiency of 11.75 % achieved in fabrication of 4 layers dopant. By using device simulation with wxAMPS to perform a combinatorial analysis of Xj and ND, we further identified the optimal conditions for an emitter to achieve peak performance. Altering Xj between 0.05 ?m and 10 ?m and adjusting ND from 1e+15 cm?3 to 9e+15 cm?3, we found that maximum efficiency of 14.18 % was attained for Xj = 1 ?m and ND = 9e+15 cm?3. This research addresses a crucial knowledge gap, providing insights for creating more efficient, cost-effective, and flexible silicon solar cells, thereby enhancing their viability as a sustainable energy source. ? 2024 The Authors |
| format | Article |
| id | my.uniten.dspace-36528 |
| institution | Universiti Tenaga Nasional |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Elsevier Ltd |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | my.uniten.dspace-365282025-03-03T15:42:53Z An experimental investigation of spin-on doping optimization for enhanced electrical characteristics in silicon homojunction solar cells: Proof of concept Mohamad I.S. Ker P.J. Chelvanathan P. Norizan M.N. Yap B.K. Tiong S.K. Amin N. 55898400600 37461740800 35766323200 57226822517 26649255900 15128307800 7102424614 The pursuit of enhancing the performance of silicon-based solar cells is pivotal for the progression of solar photovoltaics as the most potential renewable energy technologies. Despite the existence of sophisticated methods like diffusion and ion implantation for doping phosphorus into p-type silicon wafers in the semiconductor industry, there is a compelling need to research spin-on doping techniques, especially in the context of tandem devices, where fabricating the bottom cell demands meticulous control over conditions. The primary challenge with existing silicon cell fabrication methods lies in their complexity, cost, and environmental concerns. Thus, this research focuses on the optimization of parameters, such as, deposition of the spin on doping layer, emitter thickness (Xj), and dopant concentration (ND) to maximize solar cell efficiency. We utilized both fabrication and simulation techniques to delve into these factors. Employing silicon wafer thickness of 625 ?m, the study explored the effects of altering the count of dopant layers through the spin-on dopant (SOD) technique in the device fabrication. Interestingly, the increase of the dopant layers from 1 to 4 enhances efficiency, whereby, further addition of 6 and 8 layers worsens both series and shunt resistances, affecting the solar cell performance. The peak efficiency of 11.75 % achieved in fabrication of 4 layers dopant. By using device simulation with wxAMPS to perform a combinatorial analysis of Xj and ND, we further identified the optimal conditions for an emitter to achieve peak performance. Altering Xj between 0.05 ?m and 10 ?m and adjusting ND from 1e+15 cm?3 to 9e+15 cm?3, we found that maximum efficiency of 14.18 % was attained for Xj = 1 ?m and ND = 9e+15 cm?3. This research addresses a crucial knowledge gap, providing insights for creating more efficient, cost-effective, and flexible silicon solar cells, thereby enhancing their viability as a sustainable energy source. ? 2024 The Authors Final 2025-03-03T07:42:53Z 2025-03-03T07:42:53Z 2024 Article 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31193 2-s2.0-85193799932 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85193799932&doi=10.1016%2fj.heliyon.2024.e31193&partnerID=40&md5=43ec422f47d2ba3b567a74d3863ef0a4 https://irepository.uniten.edu.my/handle/123456789/36528 10 11 e31193 All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access Elsevier Ltd Scopus |
| spellingShingle | Mohamad I.S. Ker P.J. Chelvanathan P. Norizan M.N. Yap B.K. Tiong S.K. Amin N. An experimental investigation of spin-on doping optimization for enhanced electrical characteristics in silicon homojunction solar cells: Proof of concept |
| title | An experimental investigation of spin-on doping optimization for enhanced electrical characteristics in silicon homojunction solar cells: Proof of concept |
| title_full | An experimental investigation of spin-on doping optimization for enhanced electrical characteristics in silicon homojunction solar cells: Proof of concept |
| title_fullStr | An experimental investigation of spin-on doping optimization for enhanced electrical characteristics in silicon homojunction solar cells: Proof of concept |
| title_full_unstemmed | An experimental investigation of spin-on doping optimization for enhanced electrical characteristics in silicon homojunction solar cells: Proof of concept |
| title_short | An experimental investigation of spin-on doping optimization for enhanced electrical characteristics in silicon homojunction solar cells: Proof of concept |
| title_sort | experimental investigation of spin-on doping optimization for enhanced electrical characteristics in silicon homojunction solar cells: proof of concept |
| url_provider | http://dspace.uniten.edu.my/ |