Development of large area thin crystalline silicon-film solar cells

The development of thin polycrystalline silicon-film solar cells on low-cost ceramic substrates for commercial power applications is presented. The silicon-film solar cell design uses light trapping to achieve increases in voltage, current, and efficiency compared to conventional thick polycrystalline solar cells. The device analysis indicates that a solar cell conversion efficiency of 19% is achievable using thin (30 mu m) polycrystalline silicon-film designs. This performance prediction exceeds that of the conventional thick (400 mu m) polycrystalline silicon solar cell. 1 cm², 14.2% laboratory-scale and a 78 cm², 8.5% commercial size solar cell are demonstrated.