16.0-PERCENT EFFICIENCY OF LARGE-AREA (10 CM X 10 CM) THIN-FILM POLYCRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR-CELL

High efficient large area thin film polycrystalline Si solar cell base d on a silicon on insulator (SOI) structure prepared by zone-melting r ecrystallization (ZMR) is reported. Fabrication process of the via-hol e etching for the separation of thin films (VEST) is newly developed. It is found that phosphorus treatment and back surface field (BSF) are quite effective for the VEST structure and the ZMR thin film polycrys talline silicon. The conversion efficiency as high as 16.0% for a prac tical size (10 cm x 10 cm) is achieved. This is the highest for large area thin film polycrystalline Si solar cells ever reported. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.