Tunneling-junction solar cell with copper grid for concentrated photovoltaic application
One embodiment of the present invention provides a photovoltaic module. The photovoltaic module includes an optical concentrator and a tunneling-junction solar cell. The tunneling junction solar cell includes a base layer, a quantum-tunneling-barrier (QTB) layer situated above the base layer, an emitter layer, a front-side electrode, and a back-side electrode.
1. A photovoltaic module, comprising:
an optical concentrator; and
a tunneling-junction solar cell, comprising:
a crystalline silicon base layer,
a first dielectric quantum-tunneling-barrier layer positioned on and in direct contact with a first surface of the crystalline silicon base layer,
a second dielectric quantum-tunneling-barrier layer positioned on and in direct contact with a second surface of the crystalline silicon base layer,
an amorphous silicon based emitter layer,
a first electrode positioned on a first side of the crystalline silicon base layer, and
a second electrode positioned on a second side of the crystalline silicon base layer.
2. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the quantum-tunneling-barrier layers comprise at least one of:
silicon oxide (SiO x );
hydrogenated SiO x ;
silicon nitride (SiN x );
hydrogenated SiN x ;
aluminum oxide (AlO x );
silicon oxynitride (SiON); and
hydrogenated SiON.
3. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the emitter layer comprises at least one of:
amorphous-Si (a-Si); and
amorphous-SiC (a-SiC).
4. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode includes a metal grid comprising at least one of: Cu and Ni.
5. The photovoltaic module of claim 4 , wherein the metal grid is formed using a plating technique.
6. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode includes a metal grid line having a curved surface, thereby allowing incident light hitting the curved surface to be reflected downward.
7. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the tunneling-junction solar cell further comprises a surface field layer, and wherein the surface field layer includes at least one of: amorphous-Si (a-Si) and amorphous-SiC (a-SiC).
8. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the emitter layer is positioned between the crystalline silicon base layer and the second electrode, and wherein the tunneling-junction solar cell further comprises a transparent conductive oxide layer positioned between the emitter layer and the second electrode.
9. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the crystalline silicon base layer comprises at least one of:
a monocrystalline silicon wafer; and
an epitaxially grown crystalline-Si (c-Si) thin film.
10. A photovoltaic system, comprising:
an optical module configured to concentrate received sunlight; and
a solar cell module, comprising:
a multilayer semiconductor structure, wherein the multilayer semiconductor structure further comprises a crystalline silicon base layer, a first dielectric quantum-tunneling-barrier layer positioned on and in direct contact with a first surface of the crystalline silicon base layer, a second dielectric quantum-tunneling-barrier layer positioned on and in direct contact with a second surface of the crystalline silicon base layer, and an emitter layer;
a first electrode comprising a metal grid positioned on a first side of the multilayer semiconductor structure, wherein the metal grid includes at least one of: Cu and Ni, and
a second electrode positioned on a second side of the multilayer semiconductor structure.
11. The photovoltaic system of claim 10 , wherein the metal grid is formed using a plating technique.
12. The photovoltaic system of claim 10 , wherein the metal grid includes a metal grid line having a curved surface, thereby allowing incident light hitting the curved surface to be reflected downward.
13. The photovoltaic system of claim 10 , wherein the crystalline silicon base layer comprises at least one of:
a monocrystalline silicon wafer; and
an epitaxially grown crystalline-Si (c-Si) thin film.
14. The photovoltaic system of claim 10 , wherein the quantum-tunneling-barrier layers comprise at least one of:
silicon oxide (SiO x );
hydrogenated SiO x ;
silicon nitride (SiN x );
hydrogenated SiN x ;
aluminum oxide (AlO x );
silicon oxynitride (SiON); and
hydrogenated SiON.
15. The photovoltaic system of claim 10 , wherein the emitter layer comprises at least one of:
amorphous-Si (a-Si); and
amorphous-SiC (a-SiC).
16. The photovoltaic system of claim 10 , wherein the multilayer semiconductor structure further comprises a surface field layer, and wherein the surface field layer includes at least one of: amorphous-Si (a-Si) and amorphous-SiC (a-SiC).
17. The photovoltaic system of claim 10 , wherein the emitter layer is positioned between the crystalline silicon base layer and the second electrode, and wherein the multilayer semiconductor structure further comprises a transparent conductive oxide layer positioned between the emitter layer and the second electrode.
18. The photovoltaic module of claim 7 , wherein the surface field layer is positioned between the first dielectric quantum-tunneling-barrier layer and the first electrode.
19. The photovoltaic system of claim 16 , wherein the surface field layer is positioned between the first dielectric quantum-tunneling-barrier layer and the first electrode.