By Christophe Ballif; Mathieu Boccard; Antoine Descoeudres; Christophe Allebé; Antonin Faes; Olivier Dupré; Jan Haschke; Pierre-Jean Ribeyron; Matthieu Despeisse
Silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells are the archetypes of ‘fullsurface passivating contact’ solar cells; such contacts are required in order to achieve typical open-circuit voltages of up to 730–750mV. Although SHJ technology has fewer manufacturing steps and enables higher efficiencies than standard passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) technology, the market has been slow in taking it up. This paper discusses some of the obstacles that have been overcome in the last 10 years, and shows why the technology is now readier than ever for a competitive mass-market launch.
