Mechanically grooved high-efficiency silicon solar cells with self-aligned metallisation

Mechanically grooved MIS-contacted p-n junction silicon solar cells are presented. These cells take advantage of a well-defined surface structure for the mask-free formation of the front grid by means of oblique vacuum evaporation. Independently confirmed one-sun efficiencies of up to 18.6% are achieved, demonstrating the great potential of the chosen cell structure for a simplified fabrication of high-efficiency silicon solar cells.