Two- and three-dimensional numerical simulation of advanced silicon solar cells

This chapter represents a contribution towards the 2D and 3D electro-optical numerical simulation of advanced crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells (SCs). In particular, the numerical simulation approach has been applied to selective emitter and to rear point contact (RPC) designs. In the first part of the chapter, 2D numerical simulations have been successfully used to optimize the emitter design and to investigate the main loss mechanisms. Two-dimensional simulations are helpful in clarifying the recombination mechanisms, which are strongly dependent on the doping concentration, and also in taking advantage of the more realistic multi-dimensional transport modeling. The second part of the chapter reports an extensive analysis of RPC solar cells based on true 3D electro-optical numerical device simulations in order to highlight the dependence of the SC figures of merit on the main geometrical and technological parameters of the device. Controlled Vocabulary Terms numerical analysis; solar cells © 2013 John Wiley.