Low cost silicon-on-ceramic photovoltaic solar cellsA technique has been developed for coating low-cost mullite-based refractory substrates with thin layers of solar cell quality silicon. The technique involves first carbonizing one surface of the ceramic and then contacting it with molten silicon. The silicon wets the carbonized surface and, under the proper thermal conditions, solidifies as a large-grained sheet. Solar cells produced from this composite silicon-on-ceramic material have exhibited total area conversion efficiencies of ten percent.
Document ID
19820033563
Document Type
Other - Collected Works
Authors
Koepke, B. G. (Honeywell, Inc. Bloomington, MN, United States)
Heaps, J. D. (Honeywell, Inc. Bloomington, MN, United States)
Grung, B. L. (Honeywell, Inc. Bloomington, MN, United States)
Zook, J. D. (Honeywell Corporate Material Sciences Center Bloomington, MN, United States)
Sibold, J. D. (Coors Porcelain Co. Golden, CO, United States)
Leipold, M. H. (California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA, United States)