Excimer laser-processed oxide-passivated silicon solar cells of 19.5-percent efficiency

Single-crystal p+ -n-n+ silicon solar cells with AM1.5 efficiencies exceeding 19.5 percent have been fabricated using glow-discharge implantation and pulsed excimer laser annealing, together with techniques for reducing the recombination current. These techniques include extrinsic passivation by thermal oxide growth and fine-line photolithography for metallization in order to reduce the area of metal-silicon contact. These are the highest efficiency ion-implanted nonconcentrator cells reported to date and to our knowledge they are the highest efficiency p-on-n cells made by any technique.