How copper texture affects HJT solar cell stress
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- Pei-Chieh Hsiao emphasized the need to balance adhesion and mechanical integrity in Cu-plated HJT solar cells, noting that stress accumulation post-annealing must be carefully managed
- University of New South Wales team used G12 half-cut n-type silicon precursors (210 mm × 105 mm) coated with a resin-based mask to enable selective copper plating via a collimated light patterning technique
- Copper plating was performed on exposed ITO surfaces using an acid-based electrolyte at 42 mA/cm² current density, with the microstructure controlled to favor a (100) crystal texture
- Annealing conditions were tested in three ways: room-temperature self-annealing, fast annealing (205 ± 5 °C for 45 seconds under ~15 suns) on the same day, and identical fast annealing performed ~24 hours after plating
- Preferred (100) crystal texture in copper contacts reduces stress in silicon after annealing due to lower Young’s modulus, which can be achieved by tuning electrolyte composition or plating parameters
- Fast-annealed samples retained the desired (100) orientation better than self-annealed ones, suggesting thermal treatment timing influences structural stability in HJT cells
Why it matters: For solar manufacturers, optimizing copper plating and annealing processes directly affects cell durability and efficiency—poorly managed stress can lead to microcracks and reduced lifetime. The finding that (100) texture lowers strain means producers can improve yield by adjusting plating chemistry and annealing timing, reducing long-term degradation risks in high-efficiency HJT cells.
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