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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Development of low-cost thin-film polycrystalline silicon solar cells for terrestrial applications. Annual progress report, 1 Jan--31 Dec 1975

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7134314
The recrystallization of silicon on graphite substrates has been carried out by the unidirectional solidification and zone-melting techniques. Silicon solar cells of 15-25 sq cm area with AMO efficiencies (without anti-reflection coatings) up to 3.7% have been produced. The grain boundary effects in silicon solar cells of the configuration n+/p/cast metallurgical-grade silicon were reduced by increasing the dopant concentration in the p-layer, and AMO efficiencies up to 4% were obtained. Solar cells deposited on Czochralski and floating-zone refined metallurgical silicon substrates had higher efficiencies. Metallurgical silicon has been purified by the chemical treatment of the melt and float-zone refining. The chemical treatment technique appears to be very promising. Although solar cells of higher than 6% AMO efficiency have been produced from metallurgical silicon purified by two floating-zone passes, the floating-zone technique is not economically feasible for the fabrication of low-cost solar cells. (GRA)
Research Organization:
Southern Methodist Univ., Dallas, Tex. (USA)
OSTI ID:
7134314
Report Number(s):
PB-252979; NSF/RANN/SE/AER-73-07843/PR/75/4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English