Performance of large area, thin silicon cells

The author shows that cell manufacturers have established processing methods that produce cells that meet the requirements for electrical output, solar absorptivity, radiation resistance, contact performance, and environmental stability. In addition, some current cell designs are described that involve more complicated features such as the placement of all contacting areas on the back surface and a back surface contact that either has very high reflectance or high transparency for the wavelengths in the solar spectrum that are beyond the cutoff wavelength for silicon (>1.1 mu m). Many of the cell designs feature rugged, weldable contacts.