Low-cost thin-film polycrystalline silicon solar cells. Quarterly project report No. 1, March 15, 1979-June 30, 1979

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6152033· OSTI ID:6152033

Crownover, J D; van der Leeden, G A

The objective of this contract is to advance the thin film silicon solar cell technology developed at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, with a view toward achieving photovoltaic conversion efficiencies greater than 10% at a cost of $100 to $300/kWe. The technology developed at SMU consists of: (1) the purification of metallurgical silicon by acid extraction and phosphorus pentoxide treatment, (2) the preparation of metallurgical silicon substrates by the unidirectional solidification of the melt on graphite, (3) the deposition of a silicon p-n junction structure on metallurgical silicon substrates by the thermal reduction of trichlorosilane, and (4) the application of grid contacts and anti-reflection coatings. Major efforts during this period have been directed to the organization and planning of the overall technical approaches, particularly in regard to the preparation of metallurgical silicon substrates. The zone-melting technique has been selected for the preparation of substrates, and a moving-coil zone-melting apparatus has been designed and constructed. A chemical vapor deposition apparatus for the deposition of the active region of solar cell has also been designed and constructed. In addition, the purification of metalurgical silicon by acid-extraction has been investigated semi-quantitatively.

• Research Organization: Poly Solar, Inc., Garland, TX (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-79ET23048
• OSTI ID: 6152033
• Report Number(s): DOE/ET/23408-1; ON: DE81016920
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
ANTIREFLECTION COATINGS
CHEMICAL COATING
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
COATINGS
COST
CRYSTALS
DEPOSITION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRIC CONTACTS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
FILMS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
JUNCTIONS
MELTING
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
POLYCRYSTALS
PURIFICATION
SAMPLE PREPARATION
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SEMIMETALS
SILANES
SILICON
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SUBSTRATES
SURFACE COATING
ZONE MELTING