Growth and properties of silicon filaments for photovoltaic applications
- National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)
Thin silicon filaments were grown from the melt by three different methods: (a) RF-heated float-zone pedestal growth of high-purity, dislocation-free, single-crystal filaments, (b) growth of <{bar 1}{bar 1}2> axis, (111) face, dendrite filaments at high pulling rates from a supercooled melt in a quartz crucible, and (c) capillary die growth of thin-walled, small-diameter Si tube-filaments with high ratio of surface area to volume and concomitant device structure advantages. Minority-carrier lifetime {tau} was used to assess the filaments. For the three growth methods listed above, values as high as 660 {micro}sec, 53 {micro}sec, and 42 {micro}sec were observed, respectively. Thin silicon filaments with good crystallographic perfection, grown at high speeds, may be useful as active semiconductor elements in multiple linear-concentrator-array PV systems and in other optoelectronic applications.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-83CH10093
- OSTI ID:
- 302445
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970953-; TRN: IM9904%%233
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 26. IEEE photovoltaic specialists conference, Anaheim, CA (United States), 29 Sep - 3 Oct 1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997; Related Information: Is Part Of Conference record of the twenty sixth IEEE photovoltaic specialists conference -- 1997; PB: 1477 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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