**Advanced Light Management**: In order to increase the texturization of crystalline silicon wafers, we made progress in developing both dry (plasma) and wet chemical etching processes, aimed at maximising light absorption within photovoltaic cells. The plasma-based process has demonstrated a potential short-circuit current density (Jsc) gain of up to 3.72 mA/cm².
**Ag-free Metallisation**: Promising results have been obtained for double-side copper-plated silicon heterojunction (SHJ) devices, with fill factor (FF) values >81% and power conversion efficiency (PCE) >23%. This was achieved through optimisation in seed layer structuring and electrolytes, demonstrating a viable pathway to replace silver.
**Indium-free Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCOs)**: Development of alternative TCO materials is advancing on two fronts. Aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) layers have been successfully deposited via slot-die coating for initial passivation tests. Furthermore, promising opto-electrical properties have been achieved with sputtered materials (tin oxide, SnO2 and AZO). Initial integration of an optimised AZO/SiN stack into the front side of SHJ cells has yielded a PCE of 23.54%, comparable to the indium-based reference.
**Novel Passivating Contacts**: The development of molybdenum oxide (MoOx) layers using both sputtering and thermal evaporation has been successful. Lab-scale devices employing thermally evaporated MoOx have achieved a high PCE of 23.94%. Newly developed wet-chemical textures have also been successfully passivated, with implied open-circuit voltages (Voc) reaching up to 747 mV.
**Decision Support Tool (DST)**: The development of the TERASUN Decision Support Tool (DST) is underway, including the establishment of its core logic, database structure, and the framework for integrating life-cycle assessment (LCA) and life-cycle costing (LCC) data. Progress has been made on the non-technical, data-centric aspects of the project.
