Passivating Contacts for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells: An Overview of the Current Advances and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are poised to be crucial in limiting global warming by replacing traditional fossil fuel generation. Within the PV community, crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells currently dominate, having made significant efficiency breakthroughs in recent years. These advancements are primarily due to innovations in solar cell technology, particularly in developing passivating contact schemes. As such, this review article comprehensively examines the evolution of high-efficiency c-Si solar cells, adopting a historical perspective to investigate the advancements in passivation contact techniques and materials to state-of-the-art cell designs. Additionally, this work deeply studies the recent advances and critical design principles underlying each developed passivation scheme. Eventually, this work identifies existing challenges and proposes insights into future directions for c-Si solar cells through diverse passivating contact strategies.