Effects of diffusion process on potential induced degradation of silicon solar cells

Background: Potential induced degradation (PID) has recently been identified as one of the most important degradation mechanisms for silicon solar cells. It is widely considered that PID is closely related with the manufacture and application period of solar modules. Methods: In this study, the effects of diffusion sheet resistance on PID were verified and explained by testing the emitter doping profile, the minority carrier lifetime, the emitter saturation current, the electrical performance of different cells, and the PID process. Results: With increasing sheet resistance of cells, the depth and saturation current density of the emitter both decreased, and the cell efficiency increased, whereas the PID phenomenon became serious. Conclusions: It was found that higher sheet resistance or thinner P–N junction could lead to higher PID sensitivity. Therefore, more attention should be paid to PID phenomenon as the photovoltaic industry develops in the direction of high sheet resistance.