Applications of novel effects derived from Si ingot growth inside Si melt without contact with crucible wall using noncontact crucible method to high-efficiency solar cells

作者：Nakajima Kazuo^*; Ono Satoshi; Kaneko Yuzuru; Murai Ryota; Shirasawa Katsuhiko; Fukuda Tetsuo; Takato Hidetaka; Jensen Mallory A; Youssef Amanda; Looney Erin E; Buonassisi Tonio; Martel Benoit; Dubois Sebastien; Jouini Anis

来源：Journal of Crystal Growth, 2017, 468: 705-709.

DOI：10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2016.10.039

• Defects
• Growth from melt
• Natural crystal growth
• Seed growth
• Semiconducting silicon
• Solar cells

The noncontact crucible (NOC) method was proposed for obtaining Si single bulk crystals with a large diameter and volume using a cast furnace and solar cells with high conversion efficiency and yield. This method has several novel characteristics that originate from its key feature that ingots can be grown inside a Si melt without contact with a crucible wall. Si ingots for solar cells were grown by utilizing the merits resulting from these characteristics. Single ingots with high quality were grown by the NOC method after furnace cleaning, and the minority carrier lifetime was measured to investigate reduction of the number of impurities. A p-type ingot with a convex growth interface in the growth direction was also grown after furnace cleaning. For p-type solar cells prepared using wafers cut from the ingot, the highest and average conversion efficiencies were 19.14% and 19.0%, respectively, which were obtained using the same solar cell structure and process as those employed to obtain a conversion efficiency of 19.1% for a p-type Czochralski (CZ) wafer. Using the cast furnace, solar cells with a conversion efficiency and yield as high as those of CZ solar cells were obtained by the NOC method.

• 出版日期2017-6-15
• 单位MIT