Reverse bias degradation of metal wrap through silicon solar cells

In this paper we study the effects of reverse biasing on metal wrap through (MWT) solar cells. This cell structure is particularly sensitive to reverse-bias, due to the presence of via holes in the junction. The presence of “hot spots” can be related to the through hole metallization pattern: this leads to the conclusion that the MWT production process may strongly affect the reliability of this technology and should be optimized to avoid the formation of parasitic reverse current paths in the crystal structure.