Screenable silver and base metal solar cell contacts
Abstract
The metallurgical soundness of the all-metal screenable thick film electrode system is established for silver and copper electrodes. Silver fluoride was identified as a successful etchant material and is found most effective in the liquid phase (435-460 C). Best results were achieved with the eutectic alloys of dopants and semiconductors. The air-fired silver inks were strongly adherent, rugged, and solderable, whereas the hydrogen-fired silver inks had very poor adhesion. A two-step firing process was devised in which copper inks containing silver fluoride were activated in a nitrogen atmosphere, with sintering done at the same or higher temperatures in hydrogen. Good solar cells were made using the copper paste back contacts demonstrating that the electrodes are not the limiting factors in efficiency.
- Publication:
-
14th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference
- Pub Date:
- 1980
- Bibcode:
- 1980pvsp.conf..787R
- Keywords:
-
- Contact Resistance;
- Energy Conversion Efficiency;
- Metal Films;
- Photovoltaic Conversion;
- Solar Cells;
- Thick Films;
- Copper;
- Electric Contacts;
- Electrodes;
- Energy Technology;
- Eutectic Alloys;
- Microstructure;
- Silver;
- Sintering;
- Engineering (General)