Improved passivation and antireflection techniques for higher-efficiency Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) solar cells

Abstract

In this article, we simulated the Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) solar cell using Quokka3 simulation, highlighting a detailed approach to front and back passivation and sheet resistance that significantly enhances cell performance. The antireflective coating (ARC) and the front passivation layer, after fine-tuning variation of recombination current density J0 (fA/cm2), dictate the recombination losses at these interfaces, therefore playing a critical role on cell efficiency. The rear passivation layer complements the front in mitigating recombination to optimize light capture within the silicon wafer. When the emitter fraction is approximately 40% at 100 Omega/Sq, the rear boron sheet resistance showed the enhanced Voc, Jsc, FF, and eta as 719.2 mV, 41.66 mA/cm2, 84.71%, and 25.2%. These results demonstrate how J0 and rear boron area variability, influenced by both front and back passivation, affects the FF and eta of the IBC cell. Furthermore, variations in the bulk lifetime of crystalline silicon (c-Si), resistivity of the wafer, and rear boron sheet resistance (Rsh) offer pathways to improve overall cell performance.