Search results for "Ingot"
showing 10 items of 26 documents
Minority Carrier Lifetime Variations in Multicrystalline Silicon Wafers with Temperature and Ingot Position
2017
The minority carrier lifetimes of multicrystalline silicon wafers are mapped using microwave photoconductive decay for different temperatures and ingot positions. Wafers from the top of the ingot display larger areas with lower lifetimes compared to wafers from the bottom. The lifetimes of low-lifetime areas are found to increase with the temperature, while the lifetimes of some high-lifetime areas decrease or remain unchanged. The relative improvement of the low-lifetime areas is considerably larger than the relative change in the high-lifetime areas. We suggest that the above-mentioned observations explain, at least partially, why previous studies have found the relative temperature coeff…
Temperature Sensitivity of Multicrystalline Silicon Solar Cells
2019
This paper presents an experimental investigation of the temperature coefficients of multicrystalline silicon solar cells. The aim was to determine if some cell parameters can affect positively the temperature sensitivity without detrimental impact on the efficiency. Commercial solar cells with different bulk resistivities, compensation levels, and cell architectures have been studied. We report that the base net doping, the location of the solar cell along the brick and the cell architecture have significant impacts on the temperature coefficients. Moreover, we show how the change in recombination mechanisms along the ingot height affects the temperature coefficients. The compensation leve…
Experimental Investigation of the Optimal Ingot Resistivity for both the Cell Performances and the Temperature Coefficients for Different Cell Archit…
2018
Compensation engineering enables the achievement of lower ingot resistivities with relatively constant performances along the ingot height. In this paper the impact of the bulk resistivity on the cell performances and the temperature coefficients is investigated for compensated and non-compensated multicrystalline silicon. Based on experimental data we show that reducing the bulk resistivity below a certain value improves the temperature coefficients but deteriorates the cell performances for two distinct cell architectures (AI-BSF and PERCT). Moreover this performance loss is not balanced out by the improved temperature coefficient for operating conditions below 70°C.
Simulated and measured temperature coefficients in compensated silicon wafers and solar cells
2019
Abstract In this paper we perform a thorough investigation of the temperature coefficients of c-Si solar cells and wafers, based on both experimental data and device simulations. Groups of neighboring wafers were selected from different heights of four high performance multicrystalline silicon ingots cast using different dopants concentrations and Si feedstocks; Three different target resistivities of compensated silicon ingots based on Elkem Solar Silicon (ESS®), which are purified through a metallurgical route, and one non-compensated reference ingot. The wafers were processed into Al-BSF and PERCT type solar cells, as well as into lifetime samples subjected to selected solar cell process…
Improving the material quality of silicon ingots by aluminum gettering during crystal growth
2016
We present a method for the purification of silicon ingots during the crystallization process that reduces significantly the width of the low charge carrier lifetime region at the ingot top. The back-diffusion of impurities from the ingot top is suppressed by adding a small amount of pure aluminum into the silicon melt right at the end of the solidification. We study the aluminum gettering effect by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and Fei imaging. Furthermore, we present a model for aluminum gettering of Fe in the silicon ingot that is in agreement with literature data for aluminum gettering at lower temperature. The distribution of iron in the ingots with and without alumin…
Reduction of temperature coefficients in multicrystalline silicon solar cells after light-induced degradation
2015
This study focuses on the variations of the temperature coefficients after light-induced degradation (LID) of compensated multicrystalline silicon solar cells from three different ingots. The ingots have been chosen to see the effect of the compensation level, the resistivity and the impact of adding gallium to keep the resistivity as constant as possible along the ingot. The temperature coefficients of the efficiency experience a major decrease after LID on all ingots. We found that this decrease varies along the ingot height and does not correspond to the VOC drop. Moreover, no direct correlation with the interstitial oxygen concentration profiles could be seen.
A multivariate approach to the study of orichalcum ingots from the underwater Gela's archaeological site
2017
Abstract In this work a careful ICP-OES and ICP-MS investigation of 38 ancient ingots has been performed to determine both major components and trace elements content to find a correlation between the observed different features and the composition. The ingots, recovered in an underwater archaeological site of various finds near Gela (CL, Italy), were previously investigated by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy to know the composition of the alloy and it was found that the major elements were copper and zinc, in a ratio compatible with the famous orichalcum similar to the contemporary brass that was considered a precious metal in ancient times. The discovery of huge amount this alloy is…
Fast determination of impurities in metallurgical grade silicon for photovoltaics by instrumental neutron activation analysis
2010
Standard wafer solar cells are made of near-semiconductor quality silicon. This high quality material makes up a significant part of the total costs of a solar module. Therefore, new concepts with less expensive so called solar grade silicon directly based on physiochemically upgraded metallurgical grade silicon are investigated. Metallurgical grade silicon contains large amounts of impurities, mainly transition metals like Fe, Cr, Mn, and Co, which degrade the minority carrier lifetime and thus the solar cell efficiency. A major reduction of the transition metal content occurs during the unidirectional crystallization due to the low segregation coefficient between the solid and liquid phas…
Growth and characterisation of MnTe crystals
2001
We report on the low temperature growth of MnTe crystals by means of travelling solution methods. Two different processes are considered; a classical THM process using a low temperature presynthesised MnTe ingot, and a modified THM process, in which an increasing length of solvent zone collects the tellurium that was added to the stoichiometric charge to decrease the reaction temperature. Ingots from the two methods are analysed by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, resistivity, susceptibility and optical absorption measurements.
A new approach to the crystal growth of Hg1−xMnxTe by the cold travelling heater method (CTHM)
2001
Abstract In order to obtain crystals with a homogeneous composition and to reduce the Hg high pressure related to the temperature synthesis reaction between the components in elemental form, Hg 1− x Mn x Te bulk crystals were produced by the cold travelling heater method (CTHM). Following the technique initially proposed for the growth of CdHgTe by the Triboulet group, the feed material was a split ingot of two segments, one of HgTe and the other of MnTe, with cross-sectional areas chosen to establish the desired final composition. The growth was carried out at a temperature of 600°C and a rate of 2 mm/h. The Hg 1− x Mn x Te crystals have been characterised by scanning electron microscopy, …