Efficiency record for laser-processed solar cells
MUNICH, Germany — A team of researchers at the Stuttgart university has
achieved an efficiency record for laser-processed solar cells based on
crystalline silicon. The manufacturing process is fit for industrial volume
production, the research group claims. In the process developed by the group, a very thin phosphor layer is
applied to the surface of a p-type silicon wafer. In the next process step,
a very short laser pulse of only 1 nanosecond heats up the silicon surface
to about 2.000 degrees Celsius. Since the pulse is so short, the heating
effect applies only to a depth of less than a micron. During this process,
the phosphor amalgamates with the then liquid silicon and the phosphor atoms
are built into the silicon crystals, creating a pn junction. Copyright © 2009 TechInsights, a Division of United Business Media LLC., EETimes EU Copyright All rights reserved. |