Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Ph.D. candidate Wookjin Choi received the Best Student Paper Award in the area of silicon materials and devices at the 52nd IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference (PVSC) in Seattle, Wash.

His award-winning poster, “Fabrication and Detailed Analysis of 22.0% Rear Junction Double-side TOPCon Solar Cell with Front SiOx/Polysilicon Selective Emitter” presents a novel cell design and fabrication process to make next-generation, low-cost, high-efficiency silicon solar cells.

This method utilizes Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contacts (TOPCON) technology, which uses a thin layer of tunnel oxide to reduce diffusion and metal-induced recombination in silicon solar cells to significantly enhance their efficiency.

The approach has the potential to make solar electricity significantly cheaper than fossil fuels, possibly by two to three times, according to Choi.

"Winning this award at IEEE PVSC was a tremendous honor,” he said. “My future research will focus on optimizing solar cell architectures to enhance performance, aiming to make sustainable energy more accessible."

PVSC is the signature event in solar power technology and the market sector where over 2,000 scientists and engineers at the forefront of photovoltaic research and development gather.

The research was conducted in ECE’s University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaics, under Choi’s advisor ECE regent’s professor Ajeet Rohatgi.

The project was supported by the U.S Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO).

Choi received his B.S. and M.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. with ECE. His photovoltaics research was previously recognized with the Best Student Paper Award at the 49th IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference in 2022.