17.8-percent efficiency polycrystalline silicon solar cells

A substantial increase to 17.8% in the efficiency of cast polycrystalline solar cells was achieved by incorporating phosphorus pretreatment and rear aluminium treatments into the passivated emitter solar cell (PESC) sequence. The deleterious effects of grain boundaries and defects were nullified to such an extent that the performance of cells produced on the less-expensive polycrystalline material of medium grain size matched the performance of those fabricated on expensive semiconductor-grade substrates. Surface texturing of polycrystalline solar cells by novel approaches appears feasible, with a corresponding 5% relative performance increase anticipated, as observed with crystalline cells