Engineering metal-impurity nanodefects for low-cost solar cells.

As the demand for high-quality solar-cell feedstock exceeds supply and drives prices upwards, cheaper but dirtier alternative feedstock materials are being developed. Successful use of these alternative feedstocks requires that one rigorously control the deleterious effects of the more abundant metallic impurities. In this study, we demonstrate how metal nanodefect engineering can be used to reduce the electrical activity of metallic impurities, resulting in dramatic enhancements of performance even in heavily contaminated solar-cell material.

Out-diffusion and precipitation of copper in silicon: An electrostatic model.

Concentrations of mobile interstitial copper and precipitated copper in silicon were studied after a high temperature intentional contamination and quench to room temperature. It was found that below a critical contamination the copper predominantly diffuses out to the surface, while for higher initial copper concentrations it mainly precipitates in the bulk. The critical copper contamination equals the acceptor concentration plus 10(16) cm (-3).