Silicon Materials and Devices
An NREL researcher uses hot-wire chemical vapor deposition to produce high-efficiency PV devices such as heterojunction cells. A heterojunction is a region of electrical contact between two different materials, such as crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Silicon Materials and Devices research development team covers a research spectrum ranging from synchrotron studies of atomic level defects in solar-grade c-Si to collaborative manufacturing research efforts. In addition, the project includes theoretical studies of the role of hydrogen in passivation to the role of crucible contaminants, wafer sawing, and device processing on device performance.
NREL also has world-class Measurement and Characterization facilities that are on the leading-edge of a-Si/c-Si heterojunction devices. Additionally, great strides are being made towards fundamental and exploratory crystalline silicon research, specifically solar-grade crystalline silicon.
Primary R&D goals for the crystalline silicon research are to improve performance and to ensure reliability of crystalline silicon technologies. This research, led by NREL, is also conducted in partnership with key institutions to enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. PV market.
