The waffle: a new photovoltaic diode geometry having high efficiency and backside contacts

By employing anisotropic etching techniques and advanced device processing it is possible to micromachine new types of mechanical, electronic, and optical devices of silicon, which have unique properties. In this paper the characteristics of a new type of photovoltaic diode fabricated employing these processing techniques are described. This novel device has not only high efficiency, but also has both contacts placed on the backside of the cell. The first devices which are only 50 mm in diameter are of relatively good quality with low leakage currents (nA), high breakdown voltages (80 V), and low series resistance (mohms). The measured efficiencies at AM 1.5 lie between 12 to 15% with short circuit currents of 25-30 mA/cm2, and open circuit voltages of 0.58-0.6 V.