Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/1942/30874
Title: | Freestanding and supported processing of sub-70 μm kerfless epitaxial Si and thinned Cz/FZ Si foils into solar cells: An overview of recent progress and challenges | Authors: | Radhakrishnan, Hariharsudan Sivaramakrishnan Cho, Jinyoun Bearda, Twan Roeth, Julius DEPAUW, Valerie Van Nieuwenhuysen, Kris GORDON, Ivan Szlufcik, Jozef POORTMANS, Jef |
Issue Date: | 2019 | Publisher: | ELSEVIER | Source: | SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS, 203 (Art N° 110108) | Abstract: | Utilisation of expensive silicon (Si) material in crystalline Si modules has come down to 4 g Si per watt-peak in 2018, mainly as a result of reduction in wafer thickness and kerf losses as well as increase in module efficiencies. With continued progress in conventional multi-wire sawing of ingots, wafers as thin as 100 mu m could eventually be produced. Beyond this, kerfless lift-off technologies are being investigated which enable wafer thicknesses well below 100 mu m with negligible Si kerf waste. Such thin Si wafers and foils would be much lighter in weight than today's standard 165-180 mu m-thick wafers and would exhibit considerable flexibility and fragility. This necessitates a rethink about how to handle and process thin Si into solar devices in a manufacturing line with high mechanical yield and high throughput. This paper gives a broad overview of the different approaches for fabricating solar cells on thin Si foils. In particular, three routes are discussed in detail, namely (1) freestanding processing of thin Si, (2) processing of thin Si supported mechanically on a conductive low-cost Si substrate ("wafer-equivalent" approach) and (3) processing of thin Si bonded to a transparent glass superstrate. In each case, the main challenges are explained and the recent progress in addressing them are summarised. Kerfless 50 mu m-thick epitaxial Si foils lifted-off using porous Si and thinned-down Si wafers (below 70 mu m) are used as model substrates for this work. | Notes: | Radhakrishnan, HS (reprint author), Imec Vzw Partner EnergyVille, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. sivarama@imec.be |
Other: | Radhakrishnan, HS (reprint author), Imec Vzw Partner EnergyVille, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. sivarama@imec.be | Keywords: | Thin silicon foils;Breakage;Fragility;Flexibility;Freestanding;Layer transfer;Bonding;Supported processing;Adhesive;Wafer-equivalent;Lift-off;Kerfless;Epitaxial silicon;Glass superstrate;Low-cost silicon substrate | Document URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/30874 | ISSN: | 0927-0248 | e-ISSN: | 1879-3398 | DOI: | 10.1016/j.solmat.2019.110108 | ISI #: | WOS:000494054000042 | Rights: | 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. | Category: | A1 | Type: | Journal Contribution |
Appears in Collections: | Research publications |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
free.pdf Restricted Access | Published version | 3.56 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open Request a copy |
SCOPUSTM
Citations
3
checked on Sep 3, 2020
WEB OF SCIENCETM
Citations
10
checked on Oct 14, 2024
Page view(s)
22
checked on Sep 7, 2022
Download(s)
4
checked on Sep 7, 2022
Google ScholarTM
Check
Altmetric
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.