On the application of hole-selective MoOx as full-area rear contact for industrial scale p-type c-Si solar cells

We present the feasibility of integrating substoichiometric molybdenum oxide (MoOx) as hole-selective rear contact into the production sequence of industrial scale p-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. Thin films of MoOx are deposited directly on p-type c-Si by thermal evaporation at room temperature. It is found that Ag/MoOx/p-type c-Si rear contact structure exhibits low contact resistivity and modest surface recombination current density. The attained peak efficiency (eta) of the fabricated solar cells is 17.65% with V-oc of 626 mV, J(sc) of 36.8 mA/cm(2), and fill factor (FF) of 76.63%. Next, a complete loss analysis of a MoOx/p-type Si heterojunction solar cell is carried out for the first time by using Quokka simulation software that employs characteristics of different layers which constitute the fabricated solar cell. Based on this loss analysis, the dominant loss mechanisms are defined and a roadmap to attain the desired highest possible efficiency from industrial scale p-type c-Si solar cells with full-area MoOx hole-collecting rear contact is explored.