Multiscale analysis and optimization of front silver paste electrodes for solar cells

• Innovative Electrode Engineering: Through numerical and finite element analyses, we established a comprehensive framework for electrode structure, systematically optimizing sub-gate geometry. This significantly reduces silver paste consumption while maintaining cell performance. • Enhanced Performance and Stability: Our optimized design cuts material usage and boosts mechanical stability. The trapezoidal cross-section lowers maximum compressive stress versus conventional rectangular ones, improving mechanical properties. • Theoretical Insights via DFT Calculations: Density functional theory (DFT) simulations reveal atomic-level interactions between silver atoms and various metal surfaces, offering a theoretical foundation for novel electrode materials or surface treatments to further curtail silver use. • Practical Implications: By reducing resistance and homogenizing stress distribution, the optimized electrode structure enhances solar cell lifespan. This work provides an effective route to cut manufacturing costs and boost silicon solar cell performance, crucial for large-scale solar deployment. Escalating energy demands compel cost-efficient photovoltaic innovation. Silver paste has emerged as a critical bottleneck: its exorbitant cost and resource scarcity pose challenges to front-side metallization in silicon photovoltaics. This paradigm drives advanced electrode engineering to slash silver usage while preserving efficiency, thereby resolving the fundamental cost–performance dilemma of solar technology. We develop a geometric-engineering strategy to reconfigure the front-side metallization of crystalline-silicon solar cells while simultaneously reducing silver consumption and safeguarding cell efficiency. A comprehensive framework for electrode structure is established through numerical and finite-element analyses; the morphology of sub-grid electrodes is systematically optimized. Simulations show that by changing the cross-sectional shape of the sub-grid electrode, silver-paste consumption can be significantly reduced without sacrificing cell performance. Computational stress profiling across front-contact geometries elucidates thermomechanical-fatigue mechanisms that govern electrode longevity under thermal cycling. Complementary density-functional-theory (DFT) simulations unravel atomic-scale adhesion dynamics at Ag/metal interfaces. This multi-objective optimization framework establishes material–structure-synergy pathways for cost-efficient and highly reliable photovoltaic manufacturing.