Different nucleation approaches for production of high-performance multi-crystalline silicon ingots and solar cells

Buchovska, Iryna; Liaskovskiy, Oleksandr; Vlasenko, Timur; Beringov, S.; Kiessling, Frank M.

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2016.08.038

Cited by 32 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…In addition, there are more metals impurities in multicrystalline Silicon compared with single crystal Silicon due to less pure coating and crucible materials, even with significant improvement by the materials suppliers. Still, the manufacture of multicrystalline silicon of high performance (HPMC-Si) is successfully done in the industry, and the object of investigations [29].…”

Section: Source: Ipcc [2]mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…I. Buchovska [29] has shown that seeding a high-purity polycrystalline silicon chunks produced by Siemens method can be successfully used in directional solidification with cheaper feedstock of lower purity. Two ingots were grown in an industrial DS furnace using the same high-purity poly-Si seeding process.…”

Section: Ingot Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…even with significant improvement by the materials suppliers. Overcoming structural imperfections that affects final solar cell performance, such as high dislocation densities, random crystalline orientations, electrically active grain boundaries, grain boundaries with parasitic impurities such as metals, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, etc., is the main objective for the further technology development of directional solidification[29].There are crystallization processes that do not provide perfect single crystal silicon blocks, but seek a good quality material and a high yield of the process. The production of ingots where a fraction grows as monocrystalline (mono-like) by the addition of monocrystalline seeds tiled at the bottom of the furnace crucible.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, concerns regarding an increase in the density of dislocations in ingots of the so-called mono-like persisted[63]. The mono-like was gradually replaced by the high-performance multi-crystalline (HPM) silicon, which consists of small-grain mc-Si ingot grown on incubation Si seeds with fine grains, which results in smaller dislocation clusters than observed in mono-like Si ingots[64] .The High-performance multi-crystalline (HPM) silicon wafers became a dominating product on the photovoltaic market as they ensure significantly higher conversion efficiency and power output of solar cells and solar modules in comparison to conventional multi-crystalline silicon products and mono-like, while utilizing the same equipment and method of directional solidification[29]. HPMC-Si final material properties is characterized by small grain sizes, high quantities of random grain boundaries, low densities of dislocation clusters and shortly dislocation clusters[65].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…HPMC-Si final material properties is characterized by small grain sizes, high quantities of random grain boundaries, low densities of dislocation clusters and shortly dislocation clusters[65]. The improved performance of HPMC-Si material is noticed even with no upgrades of solar cell or solar module designs[29].…”

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Evaluation of impurities in the Brazilian solar grade silicon and LeTID investigations in p-type multi-Si

Knob¹

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KNOB, D. Evaluation of impurities of the Brazilian solar grade silicon and LeTID investigations in p-type multi-Si. 2019. 119 p. Thesis (Doctorate in Nuclear Technology-Materials)-Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares-IPEN-CNEN/SP. São Paulo The cost reductions and the environmental benefits aligned with global concerns about climate change have made solar photovoltaic technology the most installed source of energy in the power sector worldwide. Brazil has the largest know reserves of silicon in the world. Therefore, there is a huge potential for developing a national technology for purifying and manufacturing silicon wafers within an increasingly competitive and efficient photovoltaic industry. The IPEN initiative of investigating the production of metallic silicon and metallurgical route purification required a characterization of samples in different stages of production from quartz to wafer and understanding the characterization methods for silicon wafers taking into account the main defect mechanisms such as light-induced degradation. Metalic silicon is produced in IPEN via magnesiothermal reduction through acid leaching to form a metallurgical grade silicon with relatively low impurities. One more acid leaching step resulted in a specific ultrametallurgical grade silicon. The same acid leaching was processed in a commercially available Brazilian-made metallurgical grade silicon produced via carbothermal reduction. All samples impurities was measured by ICP-OES. The result is a material with ultra-metallurgical grade silicon content with excess of B and P. While wafer characterization was studied, an extensive investigation was taken on LeTID, which causes remain unknown, at Institute for Energy Technology, Norway. Neighboring high performance mc-Si p-type wafers were tested in different firing process conditions. The effects was investigated in terms of defects activation and a corresponding lifetime degradation and recovery at illuminated annealing. A sample with almost fully suppressed LeTID is shown. A new method have been proposed to separate Boron Oxygen-Light Induced Degradation effects of LeTID, enabling to measure even where it was thought to be fully suppressed. New models for LeTID defect formation and suppression are proposed. Both silicon purification and light-induced degradation characterization in mc-Si studies shows a wide range of research on new production routes that may require tailored processes of crystallization and solar cell manufacturing such as gettering and firing.

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Section: Source: Ipcc [2]mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ingot Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of impurities in the Brazilian solar grade silicon and LeTID investigations in p-type multi-Si

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Materials Chemistry and Physics for Low‐Cost Silicon Photovoltaics

Jiang

2018

Emerging Photovoltaic Materials

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Alternating Current Heating Model of Rods Located in Siemens Reactor^▴

Zhou²,

et al. 2020

Fuel Cells

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The energy of a Siemens reduction furnace is provided by the current heating of silicon rods. Further, owing to the temperature gradient in the silicon rod, its center temperature is considerably higher than its surface temperature. The skin effect of alternating current (AC) reduces the temperature gradient within the silicon rod. Therefore, this study essentially establishes an AC heating model of 24 pairs of rod Siemens reactor based on electromagnetic theory. The calculation results are consistent with the industrial production data, indicating that the model is accurate. The results demonstrate that when the AC frequency exceeds 50 kHz, the current density at the center of the silicon rod becomes very small, tending to zero. As the frequency continues to increase, the area where the current density is close to zero expands; further, when the AC frequency exceeds 50 kHz, there exists a constant temperature zone near the central region of the silicon rod, and as the frequency of the AC increases, the range of the constant temperature zone gradually expands outward from the center of the silicon rod. The temperature difference inside the silicon rod increases with the reactor wall emissivity.

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Different nucleation approaches for production of high-performance multi-crystalline silicon ingots and solar cells

Cited by 32 publications

References 16 publications

Evaluation of impurities in the Brazilian solar grade silicon and LeTID investigations in p-type multi-Si

Evaluation of impurities in the Brazilian solar grade silicon and LeTID investigations in p-type multi-Si

Materials Chemistry and Physics for Low‐Cost Silicon Photovoltaics

Alternating Current Heating Model of Rods Located in Siemens Reactor^▴

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Different nucleation approaches for production of high-performance multi-crystalline silicon ingots and solar cells

Cited by 32 publications

References 16 publications

Evaluation of impurities in the Brazilian solar grade silicon and LeTID investigations in p-type multi-Si

Evaluation of impurities in the Brazilian solar grade silicon and LeTID investigations in p-type multi-Si

Materials Chemistry and Physics for Low‐Cost Silicon Photovoltaics

Alternating Current Heating Model of Rods Located in Siemens Reactor▴

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Alternating Current Heating Model of Rods Located in Siemens Reactor^▴