Growth of silicon ribbons by the RAD process

Belouet, C.

doi:10.1016/0022-0248(87)90173-4

Cited by 19 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…It was only recently that some of the ribbon technologies reached maturity, and manufacture on a megawatt scale, such as in the case of the edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG [23]) and the string ribbon (SR [24]) technologies could emerge. Other technologies such as the silicon film [25], the ribbon growth on substrate (RGS [17]), crystallisation on dipped substrate (CDS [26]) and the ribbon on a sacrificial template (RST [5]) are under development in pilot demonstration phases.…”

Section: Ribbon Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Crystalline Si Ribbon Materials for Photovoltaics

Hahn¹,

Schönecker²,

Gutjahr³

2009

Advances in Materials Research

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Abstract. The objective of this chapter is to review, for photovoltaic application, the current status of crystalline silicon ribbon technologies as an alternative to wafers originating from ingots. Increased wafer demand, the current silicon feedstock shortage and the need of a substantial module cost reduction are the main issues that must be faced in the booming photovoltaic market. Ribbon technologies make excellent use of the silicon, as wafers are crystallised directly from the melt in the desired thickness and no kerf losses occur. Therefore, they offer a high potential to significantly reduce photovoltaic electricity costs when compared to wafers cut from ingots. Nevertheless, the defect structure present in the ribbon silicon wafers can limit material quality and cell efficiency. Ribbon GrowthTo provide an answer to the rapidly growing demand for cheap and easily available solar electricity, the photovoltaic industry is looking for more cost efficient and faster manufacturing processes for all steps of the value chain from silicon feedstock to crystallisation and wafering, cell processing and finally module fabrication. Silicon ribbons, as an alternative to silicon wafers that have been crystallised in the form of ingots and then cut into wafers, have, due to their higher silicon usage and potential for high production speed, significant advantages with respect to cost and throughput. However, a more complex technology and different wafer properties that often result in slightly lower conversion efficiencies are obstacles to be overcome.In principle, all ribbon processes have the characteristics that almost all silicon supplied into the process is converted into wafers. There is also no wafer cutting from a block, although in dependence upon the production method separation of larger sheets into wafers may be needed. Depending upon the type of crystallisation, silicon ribbon growth processes are either relatively slow processes, which can be run on rather low-cost equipment or high-speed processes operated with rather complex machinery.

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Section: Ribbon Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Crystalline Si Ribbon Materials for Photovoltaics

Hahn¹,

Schönecker²,

Gutjahr³

2009

Advances in Materials Research

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“…The RST (Ribbon on a Sacrificial Template) technique, formerly called RAD and now again under development at Solarforce, is characterised by a vertical growth direction combined with the use of a substrate [9]. This results in a faster growth speed as compared to EFG and SR. Thickness of the 10 cm wide ribbon will be 200 µm in the initial stage (5 cm/min) but is planned to be as low as 80 µm in the future (10 cm/min).…”

Section: Ribbon Silicon Crystal Growth Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review on Ribbon Silicon Techniques for Cost Reduction in PV

Hahn

Seren

Kaes

et al. 2006

2006 IEEE 4th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conference

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The shortage of Si feedstock and the goal of reducing Wp costs in photovoltaics (PV) is the driving force to look for alternatives to ingot grown multicrystalline (mc) Si wafers which have the highest share in the PV market. Ribbon Si seems to be a very promising candidate as no kerf losses occur, resulting in reduced Si costs per Wp. In addition, there is no need for the energy consuming crystallization of the ingot and therefore energy payback times can be significantly reduced. The higher defect density in ribbon Si materials has to be taken into account during cell processing, but ribbon materials already commercially available show excellent efficiencies, while for the most promising techniques efficiencies are significantly lower, but very promising. In this presentation an overview of ribbon Si technologies currently under research will be given, based on available data on crystal growth as well as solar cell processing and cell parameters.

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“…Another interesting vertical ribbon growth method is the ribbon of a sacrificial template (RST) [23]. This method combines two of the previous concepts; the vertical growth direction is combined with the use of a substrate ( Figure 8D).…”

Section: Liquid Phase Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicon Growth Technologies for PV Applications

Gaspar¹,

Autruffe²,

Pó³

2017

New Research on Silicon - Structure, Properties, Technology

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Crystalline silicon is the most used semiconductor material for solar cell applications accounting for more than 90% of the market share. Nowadays, multicrystalline and monocrystalline silicon are mainly produced from directional solidification and Czochralski method, respectively. Solar cells made of these two types of material have shown efficiencies below the theoretical limit due to the presence of impurities in the silicon feedstock, challenges during the solidification process and issues in the different solar cell flowchart steps. This book chapter focuses on the solidification of the silicon photovoltaic value chain and corresponding growth technologies. A detailed description of the directional solidification and Czochralski method apparatus is initially presented. The several types of defects generated during the solidification as well as the source of impurities incorporation into the ingots are described in detail. Among different defects, dislocations and grain boundaries are presented for directional solidification and voids and oxygen-related defects for the Czochralski method. At the end, alternative methods to grow silicon substrates from both liquid and gaseous phase at lower cost and moderate qualities compared to standard processes are presented. These methods are still not considered to be costeffective compared to more traditional ones due to the higher defect density.

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Growth of silicon ribbons by the RAD process

Cited by 19 publications

References 8 publications

New Crystalline Si Ribbon Materials for Photovoltaics

New Crystalline Si Ribbon Materials for Photovoltaics

Review on Ribbon Silicon Techniques for Cost Reduction in PV

Silicon Growth Technologies for PV Applications

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