Use of porous silicon antireflection coating in multicrystalline silicon solar cell processing

The latest results on the use of porous silicon (PS) as an antireflection c oating (ARC) in simplified processing for multicrystalline silicon solar ce lls are presented. The optimization of a PS selective emitter formation res ults in a 14.1% efficiency multicrystalline (5 x 5 cm(2)) Si cell with evap orated contacts processed without texturization, surface passivation, or ad ditional ARC deposition. Specific attention is given to the implementation of a PS ARC into an industrially compatible screenprinted solar cell proces s. Both the chemical and electrochemical PS ARC formation method are used i n different solar cell processes, as well as on different multicrystalline silicon materials. Efficiencies between 12.1 and 13.2% are achieved on larg e-area (up to 164 cm(2)) commercial Si solar cells.