Abstract

Surface texturing of polycrystalline silicon solar cells using a CO2 laser was achieved in the present study, with different line spacing and sizes in one dimension. The efficiency of the solar cell was calculated using the measurements of the short circuit current (ISC), the open circuit voltage (VOC), and the fill factor (FF). The SEM results showed the formation of micro-scale textures. Operational results showed that just 1.23% of the total surface area of the solar cell needs to be textured with a 0.5 mm line spacing in one dimension to enhance the efficiency of the solar cell up to 100%, while only 0.9% needs texturing with a 0.25 mm line spacing in one dimension.

Key words: CO2 laser, laser interaction with matter, photovoltaic cell, polycrystalline Si-solar cells.