Tenth Workshop on Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell Materials and Processes: A Summary of Discussion Sessions

The 10th Workshop on Silicon Solar Cell Materials and Processes was held in Copper Mountain, Colorado, on August 13-16, 2000. The workshop was attended by 85 scientists and engineers from 15 international photovoltaic (PV) companies and 24 research institutions. Review and poster presentations were augmented by discussion sessions to address the recent progress and critical issues in meeting the goals for Si in the PV Industry Roadmap. The theme of the workshop was Si Photovoltaics: 10 Years of Progress and Opportunities for the Future. Two special sessions were held: Advanced Metallization and Interconnections - covering recent advances in solar cell metallization, printed contacts and interconnections, and addressing new metallization schemes for low-cost cell interconnections; and Characterization Methods - addressing the growing need for process monitoring techniques in the PV industry. The following major issues emerged from the discussion sessions: (1) Mechanical breakage in the P V industry involves a large fraction, about 5%-10%, of the wafers. (2) The current use of Al screen-printed back-contacts appears to be incompatible with the PV Industry Roadmap requirements. (3) The PV manufacturers who use hydrogen passivation should incorporate the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) nitride for antireflection coating and hydrogenation. (4) There is an imminent need to dissolve metallic precipitates to minimize the electrical shunt problem caused by the ''bad'' regions in wafers. (5) Industry needs equipment for automated, in-line monitoring and testing. There are simply not many tools available to industry. (6) In the Wrap-Up Session of the workshop, there was consensus to create four industry/university teams that would address critical research topics in crystalline silicon. (7) The workshop attendees unanimously agreed that the workshop has served well the PV community by promoting the fundamental understanding of industrial processes, forecasting critical issues and research areas, and promoting a climate of openness to facilitate growth of the industry