Reducing recombination losses in a semiconductor?

[says]

I'm trying to understand recombination losses and ways to improve and reduce them in a standard crystalline silicon cell? I've been looking online for a while now but can't find any simple explanations.

I understand recombination occurs when a conduction band electron loses energy and re-occupies the energy state of an electron hole in the valence band. Ideally, we want this to happen as an electron flows out of a P-type semiconductor, around a wire, through a load, and back into the N-type semiconductor.

Sometimes though, recombination can occur in the N-type, P-type and surface of the junction, which means less power is generated.

How are these recombination losses reduced?

 

[Illmatic1]

The most common way to reduce recombination losses in a standard crystalline silicon cell is to increase the number of paths for electrons to travel through the cell, as well as to reduce the amount of distance and time they have to travel. This can be done by using passivated contacts, which create a layer over the cell to protect it from the environment and reduce the number of recombination sites. Additionally, adding anti-reflection coatings to the cell can reduce the absorption of light, reducing the number of electron-hole pairs generated and therefore reducing recombination losses. Finally, using a higher quality silicon can also reduce recombination losses, as the higher quality material is more resistant to diffusion and surface defects that can lead to recombination.