Progress on optimization of the solar cell fabrication process by impurity-to-efficiency predictive simulator

To optimize the last high temperature step of a standard solar cell fabrication process (the contact cofiring step), the aluminium gettering is incorporated in the Impurity-to-Efficiency simulation tool, so that it models the phosphorus and aluminium co-gettering effect on iron impurities. The impact of iron on the cell efficiency will depend on the balance between precipitate dissolution and gettering. Gettering efficiency is similar in a wide range of peak temperatures (600-850 ºC), so that this peak temperature can be optimized favoring other parameters (e.g. ohmic contact). An industrial co-firing step can enhance the co-gettering effect by adding a temperature plateau after the peak of temperature. For highly contaminated materials, a short plateau (menor que 2 min) at low temperature (600 ºC) is shown to reduce the dissolved iron.