A analysis staff together with scientists from Italian module producer 3Sun examined new zirconium-doped indium oxide electrodes in business heterojunction photo voltaic modules. The new electrodes are reported to realize the identical efficiency as their counterparts primarily based on indium tin oxide and pave the way in which for reducing the consumption of indium in heterojunction merchandise.
A European analysis group led by the University of Catania in Italy is testing using zirconium (Zr)-doped indium oxide (In2O3) as a clear conductive movie in silicon heterojunction (HJT) photo voltaic cells developed by module producer 3Sun. , a unit of Italian. power firm Enel.
“Reducing using indium might be achieved by decreasing the thickness of the clear conductive oxides (TCOs) movies,” the researchers defined. “The foremost concern for a TCO with lowered thickness is expounded to the ensuing enhance in sheet resistance. Therefore, the important thing level is the doping of indium oxide with impurities that enhance conductivity.
The scientists examined the movie in a number of configurations, with totally different Zr atomic concentrations and thicknesses. They determined to dope In2O3 with Zr, as a result of it’s a type-III transition steel (TM) that may be realized with excessive mobility and provider focus.
All movies on this experiment have been deposited at room temperature and subjected to a post-deposition thermal remedy at 200 C in air. “That makes the synthesis technique appropriate with industrial manufacturing processes and purposes in versatile units with polymer substrates,” they emphasize.
Zirconium-doped indium oxide skinny movies (IZrO) have been positioned on a 4 cm x 4 cm space. While the usual skinny movie worth of economic crystalline silicon photo voltaic cells is often 100 nm, within the first experiment, IZrO was 40 nm thick. At the identical time, the content material of Zr ranges from 0.6 at.% to 0.9 at.%.
With a Zr atomic focus of 0.6%, movies have been produced with totally different thicknesses of 15 nm, 40 nm, and 90 nm. “The thinnest movie of 15 nm is in comparison with different ultra-thin TCO movies (ITO-20nm and AZO-20nm) that present the bottom sheet resistance,” mentioned the teachers.
Finally, the staff examined the IZrO electrodes in Sun cells. They deployed 90 nm IZrO movies as back and front contacts of bifacial silicon HJT units. The efficiency of IZrO electrodes was discovered to be “comparable” to plain counterparts primarily based on indium tin oxide.
“These outcomes counsel that ultra-thin IZrO movies might be efficiently used to cut back the fee and the quantity of Indium utilized in Indium-based clear conductive oxide layers for photo voltaic cells,” the analysis group said.
The new movies are introduced within the examine “Zirconium doped indium oxide skinny movies as clear electrodes for photovoltaic purposes,” printed in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. The analysis was carried out by scientists from the University of Catania in Italy, the National Research Council, Enel Green Power, in addition to the Dutch institute AMOLF Physics of Functional Matter, and the University of Amsterdam.
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