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Porous Silicon and Solar Cells

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Handbook of Porous Silicon

Abstract

Despite dominating the photovoltaic market, solar cells based on silicon, whether single, polycrystalline, or amorphous, suffer from high manufacturing costs. Deposition of an antireflection coating for the reduction of surface reflection losses is one of the technological factors adding to the cost in standard fabrication techniques. An alternative low-cost solution to the problem is utilization of nano- or macroporous silicon (PS) surface layer, which can be formed by room temperature electrochemical modification of the solar cell surface. This updated and expanded review surveys research conducted over more than three decades (1982–2016) on the application of porous silicon in solar cells. After an introduction to the conventional silicon solar cell, the photovoltaic parameters of solar cells with PS surface layers, along with reflectance data, are then collated. “Black” silicon solar cells with passivated nanoporous surfaces and electrical contacts have reached 22% efficiency. Uses of PS layers in terms of lowering the front reflectance, increasing the back reflectance, and broadening the effective band gap of near-surface region of the cells are discussed. Finally, recent progress made with using sacrificial mesoporous silicon to transfer thin epitaxial layers onto inexpensive substrates is summarized. Steady improvements in layer transfer and device efficiencies are also being achieved.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Solar and Hydrogen Cells, Institute of Physics, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, 33 H.Javid ave., AZ-1143, Baku, Azerbaijan

    Tayyar Dzhafarov

  2. Department of Thin Film Structures, Institute of Physics, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, 33 H.Javid ave., AZ-1143, Baku, Azerbaijan

    Ayaz Bayramov

Authors
  1. Tayyar Dzhafarov
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  2. Ayaz Bayramov
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Correspondence to Tayyar Dzhafarov .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, Worcestershire, United Kingdom

    Leigh Canham

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Dzhafarov, T., Bayramov, A. (2018). Porous Silicon and Solar Cells. In: Canham, L. (eds) Handbook of Porous Silicon. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71381-6_95

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