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Title:
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Improvement of low cost ceramic substrates for use in thin film silicon solar cells
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Author(s):
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Published by:
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Publication date:
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ECN
Solar Energy
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1998
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ECN report number:
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Document type:
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ECN-RX--98-045
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Article (scientific)
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Number of pages:
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6
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Published in: Paper, presented at the 2nd World conference and exhibition on photovoltaic solar energy conversion, Vienna, Austria, 06-10 July (), , , Vol., p.-.
Abstract:
The tape casting method and the atmospheric plasma spraying method APShave been used for the production of low cost oxide and silicon based ceramic
substrates for use in Si-film devices. Investigations have shown that the
thermal expansion coefficient of substrate materials is one main parameter to
minimise mismatch problems and Si-film devices failure. Analysis of substrate
surfaces have shown that impurities from ceramic powders are mobile and
concentrated at the substrate surface after sintering, which could lead to
contamination of the active Si-film during high temperature processes. The
plasma sprayed silicon layers can be improved by a recrystallization process,
i.e. larger grain sizes and lower porosity can be achieved. For all selected
ceramics a Si-film could be deposited by either liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) or
chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The best results, i.e. compact and coherent
Si-film layers, have been achieved on plasma sprayed layers by both
deposition techniques. For the oxide substrates for which thermal mismatch
problems have been identified, plastic deformation of the entire sample has
been observed. 7 refs.
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