Photon Management for Silicon Solar Cells featuring Hole-Selective Molybdenum Oxide Rear Contacts: An Optical Simulation Study

TL;DR

This study uses optical simulations to analyze how hole-selective molybdenum oxide rear contacts affect light absorption and current generation in silicon solar cells, aiming to optimize their design for better efficiency.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the optical losses and potential performance improvements of MoOx rear contacts in silicon solar cells through detailed simulation analysis.

Findings

Long wavelength optical losses are significant in MoOx contacts.

Nanostructured dielectric layers can enhance photogenerated current.

Potential for increased solar cell efficiency with optimized contacts.

Abstract

Passivated, hole-selective contacts play important role in reducing surface recombination by lowering the concentration of electrons in the rear side of a solar cell. However, parasitic optical losses in these contacts can still limit the performance of the cell. In this work, the long wavelength optical losses of silicon solar cells featuring hole-selective molybdenum oxide (MoOx) rear contacts are investigated using optical simulations. The potential of these selective contacts for possible enhancement of photogenerated current density was also investigated for their use with nanostructured dielectric layers.