In recent years, N-type cell technologies represented by TOPCon, HJT, and IBC have emerged one after another, and the photovoltaic market has shown a pattern of coexistence of P-type and n-type cells. As a "new star" in the photovoltaic industry, n-type cells are highly favored by cell manufacturers. By adding anti-reflection coatings on the surface of n-type cells, the photoelectric conversion efficiency of commercial finished cells is greatly improved. "Millennial Solar" uses its developed Millennial 3D confocal microscope and Millennial Four-Point Probe Resistance Measurement to measure the distribution information of the grating and textured surface and square resistance/resistivity of photovoltaic cells, thereby ensuring the quality of solar cells. In this issue, "Millennial Solar" will introduce you the advantages of N-type cells over P-type cells.

Times Chose N-type Cell

In today's photovoltaic industry chain, photovoltaic cells are shouldering the heavy responsibility of technological change from the old to the new. With the fading dividends of the PERC era, cells are facing a transition from P-type to N-type. In the field of N-type, there are many cell technologies, such as: TOPCon cell, HJT cell, IBC, HBC, etc. The choice of technology route, and the fast-rising perovskite solar cell technology.

Who will be the first choice for crystalline silicon solar cells?

Crystalline silicon solar cells can be divided into N-type cells and P-type cells according to the properties of silicon wafers. The difference between P-type cells and N-type cells is that the raw material silicon wafers and the preparation technology of cells are different. N-type silicon wafers are made by doping phosphorus in the silicon wafer material. Although P-type cells only need to diffuse one impurity, the cost is low, but the minority carrier lifetime is short and the conversion efficiency is low. N-type cells have long minority carrier life, no light-induced attenuation, good weak light effect, and small temperature coefficient, which is the hope for crystalline silicon solar cells to move towards the theoretical limit efficiency.

The Future Hope of the Photovoltaic Cell Market:N-type Cells

According to relevant data, the current highest theoretical conversion efficiency of TOPCon/HJT has reached 28.7%/28.5%, and the highest mass production conversion efficiency is 25.6%/25.2%, respectively, which are significantly higher than the theoretical limit of PERC24.5%. For example: TOPCon cells is a tunneling oxide layer passivation contact technology developed based on the N-type cells process. Its core technology is the back passivation contact. Phosphorous polysilicon thin film, the two together form a passivation contact structure, which can effectively reduce the carrier collision and improve the open circuit voltage and conversion efficiency of cells.

The advantage of conversion efficiency of N-type cells is prominent. Under the background that the cost reduction of each link is close to the limit, the cost of raw materials and transportation is rising, and the installable area is scarce year by year, the high-efficiency cells technology can reduce the terminal cost by virtue of the advantage of conversion efficiency. The industry's demand for N-type cells is becoming more and more urgent. According to relevant reports, the market share of N-type cells in 2023 is expected to increase rapidly in the future. As a competitor of P-type cells, N-type cells have many advantages, and in the process of their own development, they continue to absorb the excellent components of P-type cells. With the continuous improvement of various parts of N-type cells technology, the conversion efficiency of cells has been transformed from theory to reality, and N-type cells will definitely be able to write a new chapter in the photovoltaic cells industry! "Millennial Solar", as a solid "guard" of the quality of photovoltaic cells, has been forging ahead on the road of promoting the development of N-type cells, and has lived up to its mission!