Industrial n-type PERT cells with doped polysilicon passivating contacts: Past, present and future

摘要

The industrial n-type passivated emitter and rear totally diffused (PERT) cell with doped polysilicon passivating contacts is an attractive next-generation technology, as average efficiencies above 24% have recently been demonstrated in mass production. Despite these very promising efficiencies, several factors are limiting this technology's rapid adoption in mass production, including the relatively higher cost of manufacturing equipment and the increased process complexity, leading to lower manufacturing yields. This paper provides a short overview of historical developments, presents the main approaches in mass production today, discusses potential process simplifications, and briefly touches upon a key topic for the future, namely reducing the silver (Ag) consumption per cell.