Long & Medium Term Research: Simplified Fabrication Methodsfor Silicon Concentrator Solar Cells

中长期研究：硅聚光太阳能电池的简化制造方法。该奖项是在国外卓越中心长期和中期研究计划下推荐的。该项目旨在使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外被证明卓越的研究机构进行长期研究。该奖项为开展联合研究以及利用国外独特或互补的设施、专业知识和实验条件提供了机会。该奖项由Richard M. Swanson博士赞助，将支持印第安纳大学Richard R. King博士与澳大利亚肯辛顿新南威尔士大学电气工程系的Martin a. Green教授和Stuart Wenham教授进行为期12个月的博士后研究访问。研究人员计划把重点放在硅聚光太阳能电池上，主要是两边接触的那种，设计的聚光比在20到100之间。由于该浓度范围相对较低，并且给定功率输出所需的电池面积相应较高，因此本研究将强调简化制造过程，以尽可能降低单位电池面积的成本。例如，他们将探索使用电化学沉积金属化作为真空沉积金属的替代方法，并研究不需要光刻层与另一层对齐的设计，以及通过直接在电池上印刷图案来制造电池的设计。从而消除了对光敏抗蚀剂的需要。这项研究的目标是找到一种方法，在使用这种高通量工艺的同时，将电池效率保持在比使用复杂的微电子制造技术时所获得的值高出约90%的水平。研究人员还将制造出浓度比约为5的细胞。由于硅衬底的成本在这个浓度比中占整个系统成本的很大一部分，因此将探索单晶薄膜硅用于这种类型的电池。奖励建议提供资金，酌情支付国际旅行，本地旅行，津贴，家属津贴（如果适用），以及美国本土机构250美元的固定行政津贴。

Long & Medium Term Research: Simplified Fabrication Methods for Silicon Concentrator Solar Cells. This award recommendation is made under the Program for Long & Medium-Term Research at Foreign Centers of Excellence. The program seeks to enable U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct long-term research abroad at research institutions of proven excellence. Awards provide opportunities for the conduct of joint research, and the use of unique or compli- mentary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions in foreign countries. This award for a proposal sponsored by Dr. Richard M. Swanson will support a twelve-month postdoctoral research visit by Dr. Richard R. King of Indiana University with Professors Martin A. Green and Stuart Wenham of the Electrical Engineering Department of the University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia. The researchers plan to focus on the area of silicon concentrator solar cells, primarily of the type contacted on both sides, and designed for concentration ratios between 20 and 100. Because this concentration range is relatively low, and the required cell area for a given power output is correspondingly high, this research will emphasize simplified fabrication procedures in order to reduce the cost per unit cell area as much as possible. For instance, they will explore the use of electrochemically deposited metallization as an alternative to vacuum deposition of metal, and investigate designs which do not require alignment of one photolithographic level to another, and cells which are fabricated by printing patterns directly on the cell, thus eliminating the need for photosensitive resists. The goal of this research is to find the ways in which such high-throughput processes can be used while maintaining the cell efficiency at a level greater than about 90% of the value obtained when complex, microelectronics fabrication techniques are used. The researchers also will fabricate cells designed for concentration ratios of about 5. Since the cost of the silicon substrate becomes a very significant fraction of the total system cost in this concentration ratio, the use of monocrystalline, thin-film silicon for this type of cell will be explored. The award recommendation provides funds to cover, as appropriate, international travel, local travel abroad, stipend, dependents' allowance if applicable, and a flat administrative allowance of $250 for the U.S. home institution.