Projects
Projects: Projects for Investigator |
||
| Reference Number | EP/J01768X/2 | |
| Title | Gettering of impurities in silicon: delivering quantitative understanding to improve photovoltaics | |
| Status | Completed | |
| Energy Categories | Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy, Photovoltaics) 100%; | |
| Research Types | Basic and strategic applied research 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry) 50%; PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics) 50%; |
|
| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Dr JD Murphy No email address given Materials University of Oxford |
|
| Award Type | Standard | |
| Funding Source | EPSRC | |
| Start Date | 31 July 2013 | |
| End Date | 28 February 2015 | |
| Duration | 19 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £84,800 | |
| Industrial Sectors | No relevance to Underpinning Sectors | |
| Region | South East | |
| Programme | NC : Physical Sciences | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Dr JD Murphy , Materials, University of Oxford (100.000%) |
| Web Site | ||
| Objectives | ||
| Abstract | Photovoltaics have the potential to supply all the world's energy needs. The market for photovoltaics is dominated by cells made from crystalline silicon, which account for more than 80% of today's production. Whilst other technologies are being researched, silicon's abundance, chemical stability, density, band gap and non-toxic nature mean that is certain to play a leading role in at least the medium term. More than half of bulk silicon solar cells are fabricated from multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) wafers. Although mc-Si photovoltaics have lower efficiencies than their single-crystal counterparts, their substantially lower production costs means the technologies have equal commercial viability at present. Mc-Si is produced by casting, often using a low grade feedstock, and is consequently packed with extended defects (dislocations, grain boundaries and precipitates) and transition metal impurity point defects. Recombination of photogenerated charge carriers at such defects is a major reason for the reduced efficiency of mc-Si cells. Gettering processes are routinely used either to redistribute the defects or remove them from the material. However, such processes are not completely effective. One of the major reasons for this is that the interaction between defects prevents them being gettered. This project aims to further the fundamental understanding of defect interactions in mc-Si. The thermodynamics of interactions between transition metals (particularly iron) and extended defects (particularly dislocations and oxide precipitates) will be studied experimentally. Passivation of key extended defects will also be investigated. The fundamental knowledge obtained should allow the development of new or modified gettering processes with the ultimate aim of facilitating the use of dirtier (hence cheaper) feedstocks for silicon photovoltaics | |
| Publications | (none) |
|
| Final Report | (none) |
|
| Added to Database | 23/09/13 | |
