QUANTUM EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS OF THIN-LAYER SILICON SOLAR-CELLS WITH BACK SURFACE FIELDS AND OPTICAL CONFINEMENT

Thin-layer silicon solar cells utilize surface textures to increase li ght absorption and back surface fields to prevent recombination at the silicon-substrate interface. We present an analytical model for the i nternal quantum efficiency that accounts for light trapping and also c onsiders carrier generation and recombination in back surface fields o r substrates. We introduce a graphical representation of experimental data, the so-called Parameter-Confidence-Plot, which allows one to dra w maximum information on diffusion lengths and surface recombination v elocities from quantum efficiency measurements. The analysis is exempl ified for state of the art thin-layer silicon solar cells with and wit hout back surface fields.