Metal

Metallurgy

Materials science

Laser

Physics

Optics

Chemistry

Optoelectronics

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells

We demonstrate damage-free laser contact openings in silicon oxide layers on polycrystalline silicon on oxide (POLO) passivating contacts. A pulsed UV-laser evaporates the upper part of the polycrystalline silicon layer, lifting off the silicon oxide layer on top. On n-type POLO (and p-type POLO, respectively) samples a saturation current density of 2 fA cm−2 (6 fA cm−2) and an implied open-circuit voltage of 733 mV (727 mV) are achieved with a laser contact opening area fraction of 12.3% (8.7%). The application of this ablation process in an interdigitated back contact solar cell leads to an independently confirmed power conversion efficiency of 26.1%. The excellent contact quality of the laser contact openings is proven by the low series resistance of 0.1 Ω cm2 on the solar cell with a contact area of only 3%.

Laser contact openings for local poly-Si-metal contacts enabling 26.1%-efficient POLO-IBC solar cells