Research Information System
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol.287, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
This study introduces an innovative Ag-doped Ni metallization technique for TOPCon silicon solar cells, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional silver-based contacts. Employing nickel paste doped with only 4 % silver a conversion efficiency of 23.66 % was achieved compared to silver-contacted counterparts, with an efficiency of 23.71 %. The custom-engineered glass frit used in the Ag-Ni metal paste, acting as a hole-selective layer after firing, enhanced the performance of the solar cells by improving carrier transfer and reducing contact resistance to 0.98 mΩ cm2. Significantly, this method reduced silver usage to less than 0.5 mg/Wp, leading to a dramatic decrease in metallization costs in which conventional screen-printed metallization typically requires 13–20 mg/Wp of silver. Additionally, the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) was substantially lowered, demonstrating the economic viability of this approach for large-scale solar energy production. These findings underscore the potential of Ag-doped Ni contacts in addressing the scalability and sustainability challenges of solar cell manufacturing.