Sliver cells in thermophotovoltaic systems

Previous modelling has indicated that silicon solar cells should be thinner than 100 μm to be optimal for use in thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems. Sliver cells are a novel type of thin photovoltaic cells fabricated from single crystal semiconductor wafers, with their contacts at the edges of the cell. A computational model was constructed to examine and compare the performance of silicon sliver cells with silicon conventional back-contact cells in TPV systems. Within the range of parameters investigated it was found that the lateral carrier transport resistance of sliver cell geometries limits their power output relative to conventional cells in TPV systems. In practical systems, the efficiencies are comparable.