| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/S28297/01 |
| Title: |
Low cost surface passivation of silicon solar cells by HiTUS deposition of thin film silicon nitride |
| Principal Investigator: |
Boreland, Dr M |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Electronic, Electrical & Systems Enginee |
| Organisation: |
Loughborough University |
| Scheme: |
First Grant Scheme Pre-FEC |
| Starts: |
01 October 2003 |
Ends: |
30 September 2006 |
Value (£): |
120,272
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Materials Synthesis & Growth |
Solar Technology |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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This project will explore a cost reducing production technology for the PV industry. In particular the project plans to demonstrate the Proof of Concept viability of HiTUS deposited SiN for surface passivation of wafer based Si solar cells, as a replacement for the current PECVD techniques.HiTUS (High Target Utilisation Sputtering) deposition is a recent development in sputtering technology, which uses a remote-plasma ion sputtering technique. As the HiTUS method does not use silane, an expensive and dangerous, pyrophoric gas, it offers major capital and safety cost advantages over PECVD. Moreover, the remote-plasma configuration minimises ion bombardment of the SiN film, negating the root cause of poor surface passivation using sputtered SiN films. The configuration also provides pseudo-separation of deposition parameters offering superior process control. Using an iterative process of deposition and analysis, the project will map the parameter space and optimise HiTUS based SiN deposition. Surface recombination velocity, measured by Quasi Steady State lifetime testing, will be the central performance indicator. The multi-round set of experiments will start with plain wafers, followed by emitter-diffused wafers, and finally be applied to commercially relevant solar cells processed by BP Solar.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.lboro.ac.uk |