Simulation-Based Analysis of Silicon Solar Cell Performance with Laser Enhanced Contacts: Impact of Bulk Defect Density and Resistivity

Laser-enhanced metal contact technology has recently emerged as an effective approach to reducing contact recombination in silicon solar cells, particularly in tunneling oxide passivating contacts cells with a front boron-doped emitter and rear phosphorus-doped polysilicon based passivating contact. This technique enables superior front-side surface passivation and open-circuit voltages comparable to those of silicon heterojunction counterparts. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive simulation-based analysis comparing the devices with laser-enhanced contacts (LASER) to conventional devices with selective emitters, using experimentally extracted bulk defect parameters across a range of bulk resistivities. Additionally, we evaluated the low-light illumination response of the devices and conducted energy yield simulations under various solar conditions. High-resistivity wafers consistently enhance efficiency when bulk defect levels are low but may degrade performance when defect densities are high, especially in devices with laser-enhanced contacts. Under low-light conditions, the benefits of high-resistivity wafers are further diminished in the presence of significant bulk defects, resulting in reduced energy yields in regions with poor or variable solar resources, despite gains in areas with abundant sunlight. The findings provide valuable insights into the impacts of bulk resistivity, bulk defect density, and illumination intensity on the device performance as well as energy yield.