Firing and processing effects on microstructure of fritted silver thick film electrode materials for solar cells

Thick film materials (viz. conductor, resistor, dielectric and solder pastes) have been proved to possesses economical processing and functional advantages over other technologies in high volume and quick turn-around production of hybrid microelectronic circuits. Silver thick films are widely used for the front electrode metallization of silicon solar cells. This paper reports the microstructural, physico-chemical and electrical properties of the fritted silver thick film electrode materials (for silicon solar cells) formulated using different processing conditions, which also included treatment with surfactants.