Solar cells based on silicon semiconductors account for 99% of todays photovoltaic (PV) products that convert sunlight directly into electricity. Silicon in PV takes many forms, including single-crystal and polycrystalline wafers sawed from ingots, melt-grown ribbons, and thin hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layers from gaseous precursors.
The Silicon Materials and Devices Group pursues basic and applied research on silicon materials and devices to improve PV conversion efficiencies and reduce costs.
Applied research and development includes:
- Hybrid amorphous/crystalline cells for high-efficiency cells and low-temperature processing
- Hot-wire chemical vapor deposition of a-SiGe:H alloys for better conversion of red light in amorphous multijunction cells
- Inexpensive approaches to high-purity feedstock for silicon crystal growth
- Novel approaches to thin crystal silicon layers for PV on low-cost substrates
- New combinatorial approaches to device optimization
Basic research topics include:
- H diffusion
- Silicon crystal growth
- Mechanisms of low-temperature silicon epitaxy
- Light-induced metastable degradation in a-Si:H
- Electronic defects in semiconductors
The U.S. Department of Energy funds much of our work through the National Center for Photovoltaics as part of NREL's Solar Program. In addition, our industry partners fund cooperative contract research to develop silicon materials and devices for PV and other applications.
Here, you'll find:
- A searchable database of our Group's publications on silicon
- Group member biographies
- Information about crystalline and amorphous silicon, including highlights of our past work (under construction)
We are not pursuing research on silicon life forms. :)
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