THE ROLE OF GETTERING IN SILICON SOLAR CELLS

Reference	Presenter	Authors (Institution)	Abstract
08-062	Girley Ferreira Rodrigues	Rodrigues, G.F.(Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes);	Solar cells are devices that convert light energy into electrical energy. The silicon cells may be of monocrystalline or multicrystalline silicon. The efficiency of the conversion is strongly related to the electron-hole pairs caused by light, and their recombination before being extracted. This recombination is due to a variety of mechanisms. The degree of purity of the raw material used in the manufacturing also influences the efficiency of the cell. To reduce the effect of impurities and improve efficiency some processes can be employed such as passivation and gettering. In the process of gettering the impurities are isolated by other elements and consequently reducing the effect of the impurity on the efficiency of the cell. The elements most employed in gettering are phosphorus and aluminum.
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