Characterization of silicon solar cells with interdigitated contacts

The characterization of two types of silicon solar cells with interdigitated metal grids processed at Fraunhofer-ISE is presented in this paper: the 19.2% efficient thin-film silicon on insulator (SOI) cell and a 21.4% rear contact cell (RCC). The spectrally resolved reflection and absorption properties of the cells are simulated with the 3D ray tracing program RAYN. Optical generation profiles calculated with RAYN are utilized in the device simulator DESSIS to model the observed electrical properties. The successful modelling allows predictions of the performance of thinner SOI cells and RCC cells processed from lower quality material.