Chapter 2.

1 Types of Solar Cells (on the basis of crystalline material)

(By Tanmay Mazumder)

Dt. 18.02.2012

R - 00

According to the type of crystal: mono-crystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous.

2.1 Mono-crystalline:
Mono-crystalline silicon (or single-crystal Si, or mono-Si) is, in which the crystal lattice of the entire solid is continuous, unbroken (with no grain boundaries) to its edges. It can be prepared intrinsic, i.e. made of exceedingly pure silicon alone, or doped, containing very small quantities of other elements added to change in a controlled manner its semiconducting properties. Most silicon mono-crystals are grown by the Czochralski process, Pure semiconducting material in the shape of cylinders up to 2m long and 30cm dia. are then sawed into thin slices, give the wafers onto which the microcircuits will be fabricated.

Single-crystal silicon is perhaps the most important technological material because its availability at an affordable cost has been essential for the development of the electronic devices on which the present day electronic and informatic revolution is based. Mono-crystalline silicon is also used in the manufacturing of high performance solar cells. Mono-crystalline solar cells can achieve 17% efficiency whereas other types of less expensive cells including thin film and polycrystalline are only capable of achieving around 10% efficiency. Few solar charger companies use mono-crystalline solar panels because of the higher cost to produce the solar cells.

2.2 Polycrystalline:

Polycrystalline silicon(or poly-silicon) is a material consisting of small silicon crystals. It differs from single-crystal silicon, used for electronics and solar cells, and from amorphous silicon, used for thin film devices and solar cells. The production of polycrystalline cells is more cost-efficient. In this process, liquid silicon is poured into blocks that are subsequently sawed into plates. During solidification of the material, crystal structures of varying sizes are formed, at whose borders defects emerge. As a result of this crystal defect, the solar cell is less efficient.

2.3 Amorphous:

Amorphous silicon(a-Si) is the non-crystalline allotropic form of silicon. It can be deposited in thin films at low temperatures onto a variety of substrates, offering some unique capabilities for a variety of electronics. If a silicon film is deposited on glass or another substrate material, this is a so-called amorphous or thin layer cell. The layer thickness amounts to less than 1m (thickness of a human hair: 50-100 m), so the production costs are lower due to the low material costs. However, the efficiency of amorphous cells is much lower than that of the other two cell types(Mono-crystalline & Polycrystalline). a-Si has been used as a photovoltaic solar cell material for devices which require very little power, such as pocket calculators, because their lower performance. Material Monocrystalline Silicon Polycrystalline Silicon Amorphous Silicon Level of efficiency in % Lab approx. 24 approx. 18 approx. 13 Level of efficiency in % Production 14 to17 13 to15 5 to7

In case of any suggestion please write to e-mail: tanmay_an@yahoo.co.in