Effect of sub-micrometer sized silver particle on the performance of the front Ag paste for c-Si solar cells

Front side Ag pastes with different sub-micrometer silver particle contents for c-Si solar cells were prepared. The corresponding screen-printing performance, sintering behavior and electrical properties were investigated systematically. The results show that the Ag particle incorporation could improve the surface morphology and the densification of the Ag grids to achieve low resistivity. However, too much addition of the Ag particles may have a negative influence on the printing performance of Ag paste and result in a reduced aspect ratio of the Ag grids. Therefore, the content of Ag particles should be compromised for the solar cell to realize high conversion efficiency.