Minimising recombination of charge carriers at contacts becomes increasingly important for reaching highest solar cell efficiencies, as todays bulk and surface passivation quality enables carrier lifetimes of tens of milliseconds. Metal in direct contact with silicon introduce very large densities of electronics states near the interface leading to high recombination losses. Passivated contacts allow simultaneous separation of metal from the wafer, passivating the surface whilst providing a conductive contact to the solar cell. This project will develop novel passivated polysilicon contacts for high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells which have demonstrated their capability of achieving these requirements. It will involve close collaboration with one of the world’s largest PV manufacturers, GCL-Poly, based in China.

This project will be largely experimental, with numerical and analytical modelling. The project will be supervised by Dr. Kean Chern-Fong and Dr. Marco Ernst at ANU.

Key Tasks & Responsibilities

• Conduct research on the development of novel passivated polysilicon contacts, experimental work and associated theoretical analysis in relation to crystalline silicon solar cells
• Contribute to the writing of scientific papers and reports
• Participation in international conferences and/or workshops relevant to the project

Requirements

• Outstanding degree in electrical engineering, physics or a related field of study
• Independent, structured working method, and ability to think analytically
• High level communication skills, strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with peers and superiors
• Knowledge of photovoltaics or solid-state physics is helpful