Recent advances in polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells on glass at UNSW

Polycrystalline Si (pc-Si) thin-film solar cells on glass are a very promising approach for lowering the cost of photovoltaic solar electricity. This paper reports on the status of three distinctly different pc-Si thin-film solar cells on glass under development at the University of New South Wales...

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Main Authors: Aberle, A.G., Widenborg, P.I., Song, D., Straub, A., Terry, M.L., Walsh, T., Sproul, A., Campbell, P., Inns, D., Beilby, B., Griffin, M., Weber, J., Huang, Y., Kunz, O., Gebs, R., Martin-Brune, F., Barroux, V., Wenham, S.H.
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Costs
Crystallization
Glass
Photovoltaic cells
Photovoltaic systems
Semiconductor thin films
Silicon
Solar power generation
Transistors
Voltage
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Summary:Polycrystalline Si (pc-Si) thin-film solar cells on glass are a very promising approach for lowering the cost of photovoltaic solar electricity. This paper reports on the status of three distinctly different pc-Si thin-film solar cells on glass under development at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). The cells are termed EVA, ALICE and ALICIA, are less than 3 microns thick, and are made by vacuum evaporation, a fast and inexpensive Si deposition method. EVA cells are made on non-seeded glass, whereas ALICE and ALICIA are both made on a thin large-grained pc-Si seed layer formed on glass by metal-induced crystallisation. All three solar cells seem to be capable of voltages of over 500 mV and, owing to their potentially inexpensive and scalable fabrication process, have significant industrial appeal.
ISSN:0160-8371
DOI:10.1109/PVSC.2005.1488272