Silicon Solar Cell Performance at High Intensities

The theoretical and experimental work performed since 1960 in the area of high-intensity and high-temperature operation of silicon and gallium arsenide photovoltaic devices is reviewed. Test results for conventional 5-grid silicon cells, for specially designed 13-grid silicon cells, and for a GaAs cell are presented parametrically for the illumination intensity range from 0.07 to 2.8 W/cm2 and the temperature range from 30 to 1 50°C. The data cover the 3 points on the currentvoltage characteristic required to reconstruct the full characteristic in the power-generating quadrant. The 13-grid silicon cells showed much better performance than the GaAs cell.     

Temperature Cycling Effects on Solar Panels

Temperature cycling for more than 300 cycles and for temperatures down to - 175°C performed on soldered silicon cell assemblies with copper, Kovar, and molybdenum interconnectors showed a wide range in failures depending both upon the materials used and on interconnector thickness and substrate material. The solder fatigue failure rate is strongly dependent on stress level in agreement with analytical predictions.     

Status of TiOx Antireflective Coating in the United States

The performance of glassed and unglassed Ti0x-coated silicon cells is compared to Si0-coated cells for coating thicknesses from 100 to 200 nm. The experiment was made on cells having initially the same quantum efficiency allowing complete separation of coating induced effects. U.S. cells only showed an adusted improvement of 2.6% for Ti0x-coatings over Si0-coatings as compared to an expected range of 4.8 to 5.5% as based on European investigations. Spectral reflectance analysis showed some destinct differences between the various cell types. This may be related to cell crystal orientation. All cells showed much higher reflectance at the minimum than predicted by theoretical analyses.     

Solar Cell Interconnector Design

Various solar cell interconnector designs are analyzed for fatigue failures under extended temperature cycling. Test results are presented for several configurations. The stresses and failures of the solder joint between interconnector and silicon cell are discussed in light of test results, new long-term cycling data showing much greater incipient failures than previously expected based on extrapolation. Data are also presented for solder creep strength at elevated temperatures. A comparison between soldered and welded joints shows that both approaches have their weaknesses. The bonding method of cells to substrate must be integrated with the interconnector design to obtain optimum performance, mechanically as well as electrically.     

Silicon Solar Cells at Low Temperature

Electrical characteristics of n-p silicon solar cells have been obtained experimentally over the temperature range of +28 to ?175° and for illumination intensities from 140 to 1.5 mW/cm2. Critical parameters and their distribution are presented for several hundred solar cells from various manufacturers. The effect of cell selection either to a minimum power output at 28° at 5 mW/cm2 or to a minimum open-circuit voltage at ?128° at 5.16 mW/cm2 upon the magnitude and distribution of the critical parameters is investigated. Considerable differences are noted, not just between cells, but also between lots from various manufacturers. Correlation analysis reveals no parameter which when measured at room temperature will predict the power output at low temperatures. This is due to a number of anomalies of the output characteristics at low temperature. These are a lack of the open voltage to continue to increase with decreasing temperature and a double break in the current-voltage characteristics. In addition, some cells show low shunt resistance which makes them have a poor performance at low intensities.