Creating electricity by reducing cost, Payback time and Carbon footprint - An exploitation of a novel method into manufacturing c-Si PV solar Cells

本项目将开发和演示一种新的方法，使多晶硅（poly-Si）沉积在塑料和玻璃基板上，用于光伏（PV）太阳能电池的应用。多晶硅是一种用途广泛的材料，广泛用于太阳能电池板的能量产生。目前生产多晶硅的方法涉及600摄氏度以上的高温，因此通常沉积在玻璃或金属基板上，并且涉及用于PV的多晶硅的提取、纯化的能源昂贵成本（57%）。这种新方法，使用等离子体增强化学气相沉积，将在低于350度的温度下进行，这是在一些热塑性聚合物的范围内。该过程已经在德蒙福特大学新兴技术研究中心的实验室规模上进行了演示，并已获得专利申请。此外，它将大大降低设备制造过程中的成本和能源使用，并成为英国光伏制造业的先驱。该项目将充分优化工艺，使硅的颗粒晶体尺寸具有一致的质量，用于光伏太阳能电池应用。

This project will develop and demonstrate a new method of making polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) deposited on plastic andglass subsrates for photovoltaic (PV) solar cell application. Poly-Si is a versatile material that is used extensively for energygeneration in solar panels. Current methods for producing poly-Si involve high temperatures above 600 degreescentigrade, so it is usually deposited on glass or metal substrates and involves energy expensive costs (57 %) for theextraction, purification of polysilcon for PV. This new method, using plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition, willcarry out at temperatures below 350 degrees, which is within the range of some thermoplastic polymers. The process hasalready been demonstrated at laboratory scale within the Emerging Technology Research Centre at De Montfort Universityand a patent application has been granted . Moreover, it will reduce significantly costs and energy usage duringmanufacture of devices, and precursor to the UK PV manufacturing industires. This project will fully optimise the processgranular crystal size of silicon with consistent quality for Photovaoltaic solar cell application.