Semicrystalline material from metallurgical grade silicon
Abstract
A functional approach to producing solar cell material from metallurgical grade Si is presented as a means to producing polycrystalline cells of acceptable efficiencies without costly, separate purification steps. Grain boundaries were found to be generally absent from cells manufactured from mixtures of metallurgical grade Si and semiconductor grade Si. It was concluded that impurities were sinking into the grain boundaries, and acceptable cells could be produced without expensive chemical refinement techniques. The Simultaneously Present Large Impurity Technology (SPLIT) program was initiated to deal with cells with high impurity contents. Current construction of an Si feedstock plant to produce 1000 tons of metallurgical grade Si is noted.
- Publication:
-
15th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference
- Pub Date:
- 1981
- Bibcode:
- 1981pvsp.conf..572L
- Keywords:
-
- Cost Reduction;
- Crystallization;
- Energy Conversion Efficiency;
- Impurities;
- Silicon;
- Solar Cells;
- Current Density;
- Energy Technology;
- Grain Boundaries;
- Open Circuit Voltage;
- Polycrystals;
- Quality;
- Research And Development;
- Short Circuits;
- Solar Energy Conversion;
- Engineering (General)