Atomic Structure of Defect Responsible for Light-Induced Efficiency Loss in Silicon Solar Cells in Warmer Climates: Article No. 101201

Abigail Meyer, P. Taylor, Vincenzo LaSalvia, Xue Wang, William Nemeth, Matthew Page, David Young, Sumit Agarwal, Paul Stradins

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus Citations

Abstract

Light-induced degradation of Si solar cells when deployed in warmer climates can cause up to a ~10% relative degradation in efficiency, but the atomic structure of the defect responsible for this degradation remains elusive. Herein, using electron paramagnetic resonance, we show that the defect responsible for light- and elevated-temperature-induced degradation (LeTID) is likely an Si dangling bond within an extended defect such as a vacancy agglomerate, with H atoms in its vicinity and likely O nearby. Our atomistic-level insights suggest that the defect responsible for LeTID can be mitigated by targeted engineering of the intrinsic defect populations by optimizing annealing routines prior to or during device fabrication and by controlling the amount of H injected in the Si bulk during cell processing. Mitigating LeTID through detailed knowledge of its atomic structure can help preserve the long-term efficiency of gigawatts of future worldwide installations of solar based on crystalline Si.
Original languageAmerican English
Number of pages13
JournalCell Reports Physical Science
Volume4
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/JA-5900-84686

Keywords

  • defect engineering
  • energy efficiency
  • hydrogenation
  • LeTID
  • light and elevated temperature induced degradation
  • photovoltaic
  • PV
  • silicon solar cells

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