Breaking limits Using Record enabling Silicon Technology with photonic management

The BURST project supports the efforts of a strategic European IBC (interdigitated back-contact) c-Si technology by improving the power conversion efficiency towards the practical limits. BURST will achieve efficiencies of at least 26% with thin (<80 µm) and 27% with thick c-Si cells, without relying on critical materials like indium or silver. Leveraging on the expertise of leading IBC experts and pioneering groups in light management, passivation and metallization for Si PV, BURST will develop the next generation of IBC cells with innovative and industrially scalable photonic light management, superior passivation schemes and Ag-free metallization.Maximizing the absorption of light in ever thinner wafers requires advanced light management. BURST’s light trapping based on optimized photonic structures will demonstrate superiority over the state-of-art random pyramidal textures by absorbing >99 % of the theoretical limit. BURST will transfer lab-type fabrication processes to cost-effective, high throughput industrial fabrication methods (TRL5) by using high precision, rapid laser patterning and atmospheric dry etching.Advanced passivation and passivating contacts are essential in preventing recombination and harvesting the extra charge carriers generated from the advanced light management. BURST’s cell front side will achieve excellent passivation (>>750 mV) and high transparency. Alloying BURST’s excellent poly-Si passivating rear contacts with Oxygen will mitigate parasitic absorption at the rear side.BURST will apply Aluminium and Copper as inexpensive and abundant materials with low-cost techniques to ensure a low-resistive contact (<1 mOhm.cm²) to the passivating poly-Si contact of the Ag-free BURST IBC cell.Finally, the high-efficiency BURST cells will be assembled into mini-modules supplemented by detailed analysis of the costs, environmental impact, supply security and circularity to demonstrate the advantage of BURST technology in relevant environments.