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Opportunities in silicon photovoltaics and defect control in photovoltaic materials

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Abstract

Silicon is the dominant semiconductor material in use for terrestrial photovoltaic cells. The critical issues in cell design, materials specification and cell processing are reviewed. Specific attention is given to light trapping, minority carrier lifetime control and novel microstructures for enhancing photon absorption. Relevant topics in generic defect control are discussed with particular emphasis on compound semiconductor materials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Electrical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 30332, Atlanta, GA

    A. Rohatgi

  2. Department of Materials Science, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, CA

    E. R. Weber

  3. Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, 94720, Berkeley, CA

    E. R. Weber

  4. Department of Materials Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 01239, Cambridge, MA

    L. C. Kimerling

Authors
  1. A. Rohatgi
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  2. E. R. Weber
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  3. L. C. Kimerling
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Rohatgi, A., Weber, E.R. & Kimerling, L.C. Opportunities in silicon photovoltaics and defect control in photovoltaic materials. J. Electron. Mater. 22, 65–72 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02665725

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02665725

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