Columnar-grained polycrystalline solar cell substrate and improv

Details Columnar-grained polycrystalline solar cell substrate and improv Columnar-grained polycrystalline solar cell substrate and improv

1998-03-02

2000-08-29

Chapman, Mark

Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric

Photoelectric

Cells

148 332, 148DIG122, 438 89, 438 97, 438488, 428620, H01L 2500

Patent

active

061111910

ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to improved techniques for manufacturing columnar-grained polycrystalline sheets which have particular utility as substrates or wafers for solar cells. The sheet is made from silicon on a setter material which supports the silicon material. The setter material and silicon are subjected to a thermal profile all of which promote columnar growth. The thermal profile sequentially creates a melt region where a thin-film capping layer grows at the top of the silicon, a nucleation region where preferential nucleation occurs at the capping-layer/molten-silicon interface, and then a growth region where both liquid and a growing polycrystalline sheet layer coexist. An annealing region is created where the temperature of the grown polycrystalline silicon sheet layer is controllably reduced to effect stress relief.

REFERENCES:
patent: 5336335 (1994-08-01), Hall et al.

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