GOALI: Polarized Infrared Imaging for the Mechanics of Photovoltaic Wafers

GOALI(GOALI)奖的研究目标是结合红外光弹性和偏振光致发光检测技术，研究薄硅光伏晶片的应力、缺陷和失效机制。硅片是太阳能电池中最常见的基材，但由于晶体生长过程中产生的应力和缺陷，制造过程中的材料损失仍然是一个严重的问题。在该奖项的支持下，将利用锁定红外光弹性直接研究光伏晶片中的应力和缺陷之间的关系。此外，还将开发一种新的基于锁定偏振光致发光方法的检测技术，其中测量发射光的强度和偏振，并用于研究应力和缺陷与材料吸收或发射的光的相互作用。最后，将通过一系列成像和断裂实验来研究这些材料的应力和失效之间的关系。该奖项将支持大学和行业研究人员之间的合作努力。这项研究可能会对太阳能行业产生重大影响，因为它将有助于解释应力和缺陷在光伏晶片故障中的作用，并可能实现基于机械故障概率的硅光伏晶片快速检查和分类的途径。这些结果还将增加对光与晶体材料中缺陷相互作用的基本理解。除了研究目标外，该奖项还将支持研究生和本科生的教育和培训。将通过每年夏季在行业设施中安排一名研究生研究助理学习特性和制造方法来突出学术/行业伙伴关系。本科生将通过伊利诺伊大学的工程推广活动和原理调查员的实验室研究参与进来。

The research objective of this Grant Opportunity for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) award is to investigate the mechanics of stress, defects, and failure in thin silicon photovoltaic wafers using a combination of infrared photoelasticity and polarized photoluminescence inspection techniques. Silicon wafers are the most common base material in solar cells, but due to stress and defects that arise during the crystal growth process, material losses during manufacturing remain a significant problem. Under support from this award, the relationship between stress and defects in photovoltaic wafers will be studied directly using lock-in infrared photoelasticity. Also, a new class of inspection techniques based on a lock-in polarized photoluminescence method, in which both intensity and polarization of emitted light is measured, will be developed and used to study the interaction of stress and defects with light absorbed or emitted by the material. Finally, the relationship between stress and failure in these materials will be investigated using a series of imaging and fracture experiments.The award will support a collaborative effort between university and industry researchers. The research could have significant impact in the solar energy industry, as it will help to explain the role of stress and defects in photovoltaic wafer failure, and could enable a pathway to rapid inspection and sorting of silicon photovoltaic wafers based on the probability of mechanical failure. The results will also add to the fundamental understanding of the interaction of light with defects in crystalline materials. In addition to the research objectives, the award will support graduate and undergraduate education and training. The academic/industry partnership will be highlighted by the annual summer placement of a graduate research assistant in the industry facility to learn characterization and manufacturing methods. Undergraduate students will be involved through an engineering outreach event at the University of Illinois, and through research in the laboratory of the Principle Investigator.