Symposium ES11-Silicon for Photovoltaics

The last few years have seen a tremendous progress in the research and development of high-efficiency silicon photovoltaics, evidenced by the establishment of the new world record at 26.33% by Kaneka, Japan (September 2016). Key enabling factors have been (i) the increasing quality of absorber materials, (ii) the development of carrier-selective passivating contacts and (iii) the design of device architectures towards maximal current generation. This symposium is focused on these three factors, and especially welcomes scientific and technological contributions aimed at increasing the conversion efficiency and/or lowering the material and fabrication costs by using silicon or silicon-enabled photovoltaic materials.

In greater detail:

Absorber materials: Wire-sawn Cz-grown monocrystalline silicon is currently the substrate of choice for high-efficiency silicon photovoltaics. Here we are especially interested in the development of new silicon-enabled absorbers (e.g. BaSi₂, new allotropes of Si, etc.) and in alternative substrate fabrication methods such as layer separation/transfer or laser-/metal-induced crystallization aimed at the fabrication of kerfless and ultra-thin silicon substrates.

Carrier-selective passivating contacts: Contacts aimed at the selective collection of one type of carrier and avoidance of recombination of the opposite carrier type have been shown to be instrumental for high performance devices. Here we welcome contributions discussing their fundamental underlying principles (i.e. surface passivation, band structure, Fermi-level pinning at interfaces), deposition methods, new materials (including transparent electrodes and doping-free approaches) and new functionalities (temperature stability, transparency, local depositions).

Photon management: Micro-scale front texturing and dielectric spacer / metallic rear reflector constitute state-of-the-art light management techniques. Here we also look forward to contributions aimed at improved utilization of the solar spectrum, by novel optical designs, surface texturing, development of back-contacted architectures, and especially silicon-based tandem solar cells, combined with perovskite, III-V groups materials or alternative top cells.

Submissions are encouraged on the materials science, fabrication, device application, theory, simulation, and characterization in these emerging areas.

• Silicon and silicon-enabled photovoltaic devices, such as silicon heterojunction and carrier-selective passivating contact solar cells, all-silicon tandem solar cells, tandem-on-silicon solar cells using perovskite, III-V groups materials, or alternative top cells, new device
• Absorber, contact, passivation, transparent conductor, and metallization materials for silicon (or tandem) photovoltaic devices
• Silicon film materials such as (hydrogenated) amorphous silicon, silicon carbides and oxides, epitaxial silicon and epitaxial layers on silicon, silicon-germanium, barium-disilicide and silicon-(carbon-) tin alloys
• Methods of making silicon including (PE) CVD growth, kerfless wafering, and laser- and metal-induced crystallization
• Characterization and modeling of the structural, mechanical, electrical, and optical properties of silicon-related materials and devices

• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _0 (Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, Germany)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _1 (Advanced Silicon Group, USA)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _2 (imec, Belgium)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _3 (Fraunhofer ISE, Germany)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _4 (University of Chicago, USA)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _5 (University of Yamanashi, Japan)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _6 (University of California, Berkeley, USA)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _7 (Australian National University, Australia)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _8 (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _9 (Cambridge University, United Kingdom)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _10 (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _11 (Stanford University, USA)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _12 (Aalto University, Finland)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _13 (JA Solar, China)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _14 (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _15 (Australian National University, Australia)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _16 (Kaneka, Japan)
• ES11_Silicon for Photovoltaics _17 (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA)