Strength of Multicrystalline Silicon Wafers for Various Surface Conditions

2009 ◽  
Vol 1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Przemyslaw Rupnowski ◽  
Bhushan Sopori ◽  
Dan Armentrout ◽  
Ethan Good
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Surface Treatment ◽  
Silicon Wafers ◽  
Multicrystalline Silicon ◽  
Wafer Surface ◽  
Fracture Properties ◽  
Surface Conditions ◽  
Loading Fixture

AbstractThis study focuses on fracture properties of silicon wafers used by the photovoltaic (PV) industry as substrates for solar cells. In the first part, we numerically model three fixtures that are often used to test the strength of PV wafers. In the second part, we employ our previously developed model to predict strength of the wafers as a function of loading fixture and surface treatment. Surface treatment is simulated by removing damage from the wafer surface.

Impurities in multicrystalline silicon wafers for solar cells detected by synchrotron micro-beam X-ray fluorescence analysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (11) ◽  
pp. 1875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Günter Buzanich ◽  
Martin Radtke ◽  
Uwe Reinholz ◽  
Heinrich Riesemeier ◽  
Andreas F. Thünemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Fluorescence Analysis ◽  
Silicon Wafers ◽  
Multicrystalline Silicon ◽  
X Ray

Fracture Analysis and Distribution of Surface Cracks in Multicrystalline Silicon Wafers

2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Saffar ◽  
S. Gouttebroze ◽  
Z. L. Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Failure Probability ◽  
Surface Crack ◽  
Silicon Wafers ◽  
Multicrystalline Silicon ◽  
Wafer Surface ◽  
Surface Cracks ◽  
Property Variation ◽  
Micro Cracks ◽  
Solar Silicon ◽  
Sawing Process

Solar silicon wafers are mainly produced through multiwire sawing. The sawing process induces micro cracks on the wafer surface, which are responsible for brittle fracture. Hence, it is important to scrutinize the crack geometries most commonly generated in silicon wafer sawing or handling process and link the surface crack to the fracture of wafers. The fracture of a large number of multicrystalline silicon wafers has been investigated by means of 4-point bending and twisting tests and a failure probability function is presented. By neglecting the material property variation and assuming that one surface crack is dominating the wafer breakage, 3D finite element models with various crack sizes (depth, length, and orientation) have been analyzed to identify the distribution of surface crack geometries by fitting the failure probability from the experiments. With respect to the 63% probability, the existing surface cracks in the wafers studied appear to have depth and length ratios less than 0.042 and 0.19, respectively. Furthermore, it has been shown that the surface cracks with depth in the range from 10 to 20 μm, length up to 10 mm and angles in the range of 30 deg–60 deg, can be considered as the most common crack geometries in wafers we tested. Finally, it has been found that the mechanical strength of the wafers tested parallel to the sawing direction is approximately 15 MPa smaller than those tested perpendicular to the sawing direction.

scholarly journals N-type multicrystalline silicon wafers and rear junction solar cells

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Martinuzzi ◽  
O. Palais ◽  
M. Pasquinelli ◽  
F. Ferrazza
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Silicon Wafers ◽  
Multicrystalline Silicon
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