Characteristics of Thin Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells with Rib Structure

To improve the conversion efficiency of Si solar cells, we have developed a thin Si wafer cell that uses a rib structure. We fabricated a lattice-shaped rib structure on the rear side of a thin Si wafer to improve the wafer's strength. A wafer with thickness of 30 μm was prepared easily using this structure. Fabricating a Si heterojunction on the rib wafer, we demonstrated that a high open-circuit voltage (VOC) could be obtained by thinning the wafer without sacrificing its strength. Experimental and simulation results showed that the rib structure thin wafer could be a candidate for further improvement in conversion efficiency.