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http://hdl.handle.net/11375/12501
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DC Field | Value | Language |
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dc.contributor.advisor | Kleiman, Rafael | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Janssen, Erik W. | en_US |
dc.date.accessioned | 2014-06-18T16:59:50Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2014-06-18T16:59:50Z | - |
dc.date.created | 2012-09-12 | en_US |
dc.date.issued | 2012-10 | en_US |
dc.identifier.other | opendissertations/7383 | en_US |
dc.identifier.other | 8402 | en_US |
dc.identifier.other | 3314518 | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11375/12501 | - |
dc.description.abstract | <p>The photovoltaics (PV) research community is currently pursuing many approaches to reduce the cost of PV and increase the energy conversion efficiency. Single-crystalline silicon (sc-Si) solar cells are able to achieve high efficiency but have a higher cost relative to other technologies. It may be possible to drastically reduce the cost of sc-Si PV by fabricating solar cells which are an order of magnitude thinner than conventional solar cells, i.e. thinner than 30 microns. Aside from new fabrication paradigms, ultra-thin sc-Si solar cells require advanced light-trapping techniques to enhance the absorption of long-wave radiation which is otherwise transmitted through the cell. In this thesis, a novel process flow for the fabrication of ultra-thin sc-Si solar cells in the laboratory was designed and implemented with the aim of testing light-trapping structures in the context of actual ultra-thin sc-Si devices. The process flow uses 10 micron thick sc-Si membranes, 0.95 cm in diameter, fabricated on silicon-on-insulator wafers using double-sided processing. The best fabricated device incorporated a back surface field, a white paint diffuse rear reflector and a silicon nitride antireflection coating. It achieved a fill factor, efficiency, short circuit current and open circuit voltage of 0.67, 9.9%, 27.9 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> and 0.53 V respectively. Simulations suggest the device efficiency can approach 15.4% without light-trapping and 16.5% with a diffuse rear reflector as a light trapping structure. This process flow is intended to be used as a platform on which to test further light-trapping structures with the continuation of this project.</p> | en_US |
dc.subject | light-trapping | en_US |
dc.subject | solar cells | en_US |
dc.subject | silicon | en_US |
dc.subject | thin | en_US |
dc.subject | high-efficiency | en_US |
dc.subject | low-cost | en_US |
dc.subject | Other Engineering Science and Materials | en_US |
dc.subject | Other Engineering Science and Materials | en_US |
dc.title | Ultra-thin Single-crystalline Silicon Membrane Solar Cells as a Light-trapping Test Platform | en_US |
dc.type | thesis | en_US |
dc.contributor.department | Engineering Physics | en_US |
dc.description.degree | Master of Applied Science (MASc) | en_US |
Appears in Collections: | Open Access Dissertations and Theses |
Files in This Item:
File | Size | Format | |
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fulltext.pdf | 3.31 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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