Thin-film polycrystalline silicon solar cells. Technical progress quarterly report No. 2

Technical Report · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:5288200

Faughnan, B. W.; Blanc, J.; Phillips, W.; Redfield, D.

A continuing study of the characterization of grain boundaries in polycrystalline silicon is reported. The solar cells fabricated in this quarter, which include a complete set of bicrystals and cells made on two different types of potentially low-cost substrates, are listed. Some detailed QE measurements on a Wacker Silso cell are described and the difference between bulk and average diffusion length is explained. It is shown how the average QE curve can be used to calculate the AM-1 short-circuit current with excellent accuracy. The laser scanner has been improved further and excellent scans are obtained at wavelengths of 633 nm and 1150 nm. These are discussed along with a new photoconductivity-laser-scan technique for observing grain boundaries in bare silicon, i.e., with no diffused junction. Recent developments in other grain boundary characterization techniques are described. These include the liquid-crystal technique for observing grain boundaries, the use of a bicrystal with grain boundary parallel to the sample surface for DLTS measurements, and the measurement of grain crystallographic orientation by electron-channeling patterns in a previously laser-scanned sample of Wacker Silso silicon.

• Research Organization: RCA Labs., Princeton, NJ (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-77CH00178
• OSTI ID: 5288200
• Report Number(s): SERI/PR-0-8276-2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
CHANNELING
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALS
DATA
DATA FORMS
DIFFUSION LENGTH
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRON CHANNELING
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
FILMS
FLUIDS
GRAIN BOUNDARIES
GRAPHS
INFORMATION
INSPECTION
ISOLATED VALUES
LASERS
LIQUID CRYSTALS
LIQUIDS
MICROSTRUCTURE
OPTICAL EQUIPMENT
OPTICAL SCANNERS
PERFORMANCE
PHOTOCONDUCTIVITY
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POLYCRYSTALS
QUANTUM EFFICIENCY
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SUBSTRATES