This project will investigate the feasibility of using a gas jet plasma technique to produce silicon films for solar cells. The technique has been used to prepare high quality silicon films at rates 20 times faster than those typically used for preparing silicon film solar cells. With these faster rates and the associated higher gas utilization, application of this technique to an existing roll-to-roll solar cell production process would lead to significant cost savings. Furthermore, indications are that the high electron temperatures associated with this technique produce materials with different microstructures which are less susceptible to degradation. Phase I will produce and characterize materials prepared using this new technique, fabricate solar cells to demonstrate the advantages of using this technology, and demonstrate that solar cell production costs can be lowered by utilizing this technology.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:The production of solar cells with higher stable efficiencies at lower production costs is anticipated. As a result, photovoltaic modules would be used more widely, reducing the dependency on fossil fuel driven energy.
