HELICS cell: Laser-cut grooves to create a high-efficiency, low-cost IBC solar cell

A novel approach to the production of interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cells is presented. IBC cells have all the contacts on the rear of the cell, thus preventing the `dead areas' that appear on conventional solar cells with front-side contacts. Current IBC cell designs are relatively expensive, but by using laser grooved contacts it is possible to create cheaper IBC solar cells using solar grade silicon wafers. The concept is verified by experiments and detailed TCAD simulations.