Solamet® Metallization Paste Selector Guide

Photovoltaic metallization pastes are screen printed onto the surface of solar cells in a pattern of grid lines which serve to collect electricity produced by the cell and transport it out. Single print, which refers to the printing of a single layer of silver paste on the front side of a solar cell as a conductor, is the most common screen printing technology. From Solamet® PV145 paste to the latest generation of Solamet® PV19x paste available today, Solamet® photovoltaic metallization pastes continue to set the standard for solar cell efficiency.

To maximize the efficiency of a solar cell, double (or multiple) printing technology reduces the shadowing effect of wide grid lines and improves electrical conductivity. In addition to demanding precise alignment of the patterning system, multiple printing requires the paste to be finely tuned to perform consistently during all printing passes.

Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (PERC) is a solar cell structure on p-type crystalline silicon wafers that forms the rear localized aluminum-alloyed contact structures, which reduces the effective rear surface recombination velocity (SRV) by forming localized back surface field (LBSF) regions through patterned dielectrics. PERC structures can enable higher cell efficiencies than cells employing a full area aluminum-alloyed BSF.

Metal Wrap Through (MWT) is a specialized cell structure that transfers the bus bars on the front side of the solar cell onto the backside, reducing shading on the front side of the cell. The connections are made through holes in the silicon with the same composition as the bus bars."

N-type solar cells are based on n-type silicon wafers which are produced differently in the doping process during crystallization: while for p-type silicon usually employs boron as a dopant, n-type silicon crystals, usually phosphorus is added to the silicon melt. N-type solar cells feature two important advantages: they do not suffer from light induced degradation (LID) and they are less sensitive to impurities that are usually present in silicon feedstock.

Interdigitated back contact solar (IBC) cells are made by screen printing dopant materials onto the back surface of a semiconductor substrate in a pair of interdigitated patterns. Rear contact solar cells eliminate shading losses altogether by putting both contacts on the rear of the cell. Cells with both contacts on the rear are easier to interconnect and can be placed closer together in the module since there is no need for a space between the cells.