Recrystallized silicon thin-film solar cells on zircon ceramics

This work describes the processing of recrystallized silicon thin-film solar cells and its typical defects. Zircon (ZrSiO₄) ceramic substrates of technical grade with potential production costs of <; 20 €/m² were used. Those substrates were encapsulated in crystalline silicon carbide, deposited by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD). The active silicon layers were also formed using APCVD. Zone-melting recrystallization (ZMR) was used to enlarge Si grains. Si films crystallized on SiC show characteristic Σ3 twin grain boundaries parallel to the growth direction. The Si crystals achieve widths up to several mm and lengths of several cm. Solar cells made from such material achieved open circuit voltages up to 566 mV on zircon and up to 600 mV on equally processed mc-Si.