A thin-film silicon solar cell: Design and processing approach

We present a new device structure for a high efficiency, thin-film, silicon solar cell. A preliminary design and an approach for fabrication of such a cell are discussed. The cell structure uses interface texturing and a back surface reflector for effective light trapping. A theoretical analysis is applied to determine the major parameters of the cell. These analyses indicate that a cell efficiency of about 18% is attainable with a Si film thickness of 10-15 mu m, and grain size of about 50 mu m. A method for making a large-grain thin cell is proposed.