U. S. VIEW OF SILICON PRODUCTION PROCESSES.

Abstract

The United States Department of Energy's program to develop low-cost processes for producing silicon suitable for solar cells, which has a goal of less than 14/kg (1980), has progressed to the stage that the demonstration of technology readiness by the end of 1982 in highly likely. The effort for the determination of the effects of impurities on solar cell performance consists of investigations of high efficiency cells, polycrystalline cells, permanence, and non-uniform distributions. The results have applicability for relating silicon purity requirements to the economics of silicon processes as well as to the strategies and economics of solar cell fabrication.