Formation of Charge Pumps in the Structure of Photoelectric Converters

Abstract

The results of the further development of the original charge-pumping concept in the structure of photoelectric converters are considered. Charge pumps arise due to the formation of spatial defect-impurity complexes. The formation of charge pumps leads to a change in the transport mechanism of photo-induced carriers through the solar cell base. The technological process of nonthermal, or cold photonic annealing is proposed for the first time. This process involves the use of standard equipment for photonic annealing. The effect of nonthermal photonic annealing is achieved using the original photo-mask (removable photo-template). The photo-template provides an annealing mode using several light sources and thermal insulation of the processed wafer. The process is called local photonic annealing. Due to its efficiency and simplicity the process does not require significant industrial investments. The results of experimental studies to increase the short-circuit current and maximum power of solar cells using local photon annealing are presented. The experiments are carried out with solar cells fabricated by various manufacturers.