Fifth workshop on the role of impurities and defects in silicon device processing: Summary of panel discussions

Like previous workshops, the 5th Workshop was organized around a specific theme - Defect Engineering in Silicon Solar Cell Manufacture and Thin-Film Solar Cell Development that matched the current industry concerns. The workshop was very successful in achieving its objectives: (1) to provide a forum for discussing manufacturing and research issues that can help the silicon photovoltaic (PV) industry meet DOE cost objectives, and (2) to identify how laboratory results of using defect/impurity engineering to make high-efficiency cells on low-cost substrates can be implemented into manufacturing processes. The workshop consisted of five sessions: (1) material issues, (2) thin-film silicon solar cells, (3) gettering and passivation, (4) new processes, and (5) wrap-up discussion. The latest research and development (R&D) results were presented in two poster sessions involving 24 poster presentations. The workshop was attended by 78 participants representing the silicon PV industry, academia, and R&D facilities from the United States, Germany, Spain, Australia, and Italy