General information
Organisation
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.
Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.
The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
Reference
SL-DES-26-0615
Thesis topic details
Category
Engineering science
Thesis topics
Development and characterization of a low-silver metallization for photovoltaic cells with high-efficiency passivated contacts
Contract
Thèse
Job description
In order to decarbonize energy production and meet climate plan objectives, the production of photovoltaic (PV) modules must increase significantly. To sustain these production levels, the silver content in latest-generation cells must be drastically reduced. Some alternatives incorporate less expensive metals (nickel, aluminum, copper) into screen-printing pastes. These approaches require evaluation in terms of contact formation, electron transport, and reliability. In a TOPCon cell architecture, the electrode must be brought into direct contact with the active layers of the cell via thermal annealing. This step enhances device performance (through a hydrogenation phenomenon) while simultaneously generating potential degradation related to the introduction of metallic species. This is especially critical when using new metals (Ni, Cu, etc.) with higher diffusivities than silver. The objectives of this thesis are manifold: to evaluate the performance of these low-silver alternative pastes once integrated into TOPCon cells; to characterize the impact of the introduction of these metallic species on the lifetime of photogenerated carriers in silicon; and to assess the long-term stability of these metallizations while verifying the absence of cell degradation phenomena under prolonged illumination. If necessary, an alternative metallization technique more suitable for these pastes will be developed. During the PhD, the successful candidate will be required to fabricate, metallize via screen printing, and characterize devices within a cleanroom environment.
University / doctoral school
Electronique, Electrotechnique, Automatique, Traitement du Signal (EEATS)
Université Grenoble Alpes
Thesis topic location
Site
Grenoble
Requester
Position start date
01/10/2026
Person to be contacted by the applicant
CABAL Raphaël
raphael.cabal@cea.fr
CEA
DES/DTS/SCPV/LPA
CEA - INES
Batiment ALOUETTE 3
BP332 - 50 avenue du Lac Léman
73375 Le Bourget du Lac
0479792075
Tutor / Responsible thesis director
KAMINSKI Anne
anne.kaminski@grenoble-inp.fr
Grenoble INP-UGA
CROMA (Centre de Radiofréquences, Optique, Micro-nanoélectronique des Alpes)
CROMA, UMR 5130, MINATEC, 3 parvis Louis Néel, CS 50257, 38016 Grenoble Cedex 1.
04 56 52 95 40
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