Silicon films on foreign substrates for solar cells

Abstract

Silicon films on foreign substrates have been used for various device applications for over fifteen years. The current interest in the photovoltaic conversion of solar energy for terrestrial applications has stimulated investigations on the feasibility of using polycrystalline silicon films on low cost substrates for solar cell purposes. In this paper, the deposition and properties of silicon films on several low cost substrates, such as steel, aluminum, graphite, and metallurgical silicon, are reviewed. The characteristics of solar cells prepared from these films are discussed. The present results indicate that the deposition of a silicon film containing a p-n junction on a purified, recrystallized metallurgical silicon substrate is a promising approach for the fabrication of low-cost solar cells for terrestrial applications.