Comparison of solar silicon feedstock

One of the major factors in reducing a cost of commercial solar cells is the lifetime of the photovoltaic material. In this work, a deterioration of Si generated by solvent metal gathering method (SMG) and Si removed from damaged solar cells is analyzed and compared with electronic grade Si. The dif...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of thermal analysis and calorimetry 2014, Vol.115 (1), p.177-183
Main Authors: Mitrasinovic, Aleksandar M, Hernandez, Francisco C. Robles
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analytical Chemistry
Calorimetry
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Comparative analysis
Copper
Inorganic Chemistry
Measurement Science and Instrumentation
Physical Chemistry
Polymer Sciences
Silicon
Solar energy industry
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Summary:One of the major factors in reducing a cost of commercial solar cells is the lifetime of the photovoltaic material. In this work, a deterioration of Si generated by solvent metal gathering method (SMG) and Si removed from damaged solar cells is analyzed and compared with electronic grade Si. The differences in heating and cooling cycles on the DTA curves of different solar grade Si and Cu–Si mixtures are compared. A nonequilibrium exothermic reaction in Si generated by SMG method is recorded in samples aged in room atmosphere for 1 year. The outcomes of the cooling cycles after the DTA analyses for various solar grades Si were not significantly differentiated from the referred electronic grade Si indicating that recrystallization of aged Si diminishes the problem related to agglomeration of Cu and oxygen on the surface of Si solar grade particles. The DTA tests showed that recrystallized Si from the deteriorated solar cells can be recycled as feedstock materials for solar cells applications while Si generated by SMG method can be used for blending in order to achieve a long lifetime of Si solar cells.
ISSN:1388-6150
1588-2926
1572-8943
DOI:10.1007/s10973-013-3245-6