Next generation solar grade silicon and solar cells technology

The developed solar cell process is based on the passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) concept. Industrial implementation of PERC cells is a technological challenge and requires the development of new processing steps. Numerical simulations and experime nts will be carried on wafers with different thickness and resistivity, in order to determine the specs and tolerance for solar grade silicon when processing PERC type cells.Integrated cell process should give an average cell efficiency of 15.5%, with top efficiency above 16.5% on 150 µm thick wafers manufactured from the new feedstock. The thickness reduction should allow for a reduction of 30-40% of the Si use per watt-peak.