20% efficient laser grooved, buried contact silicon solar cells

Improvements in the performance of silicon solar cells using the laser-grooved, buried-contact solar cell structure are reported. Four major results are described: (i) the demonstration of an independently confirmed 20.6% efficiency for a 12 cm² cell of this type and an efficiency above 20% for all resistivities between 0.25 and 10 Omega -cm; (ii) the demonstration that efficiencies established in an earlier baseline sequence can be transferred to large-area cells with an efficiency of 19.6% independently measured for a 7-cm*7-cm cell; (iii) the fabrication of a nominally 30-cm*30-cm module incorporating 16 cells of the previous size which demonstrates an independently measured encapsulated cell efficiency of 19.2%, aperture efficiency of 18.7%, and module efficiency (including frame) of 17.5%; and (iv) a ´quadruple bounce´ texturing approach for encapsulated cells.