Are thin crystalline silicon solar cells effective?

Lightweight and flexible thin crystalline silicon solar cells have huge market potential but remain relatively unexplored. Here, authors present a thin silicon structure with reinforced ring to prepare free-standing 4.7-μm 4-inch silicon wafers, achieving efficiency of 20.33% for 28-μm solar cells.

Can diamond wire saw cut monocrystalline silicon wafer?

The analytical model is verified by the finite element simulation. The experiment of the minimum thickness of diamond wire saw cutting monocrystalline silicon wafer is accomplished to validate the theory. Diamond wire sawing is one of the key technologies in solar cell manufacturing process and semiconductor chip manufacturing process.

What is the purpose of the book 'Wafer-based silicon solar cells'?

The volume includes the chapters that present new results of research aimed to improve efficiency, to reduce consumption of materials and to lower cost of wafer-based silicon solar cells as well as new methods of research and testing of the devices.

What is the analytical model of minimum sawing thickness of silicon wafer?

An analytical model of minimum sawing thickness of silicon wafer is based on Kirchhoff's thin plate theory. The analytical model is verified by the finite element simulation. The experiment of the minimum thickness of diamond wire saw cutting monocrystalline silicon wafer is accomplished to validate the theory.

Are textured TSRR wafers suitable for manufacturing silicon solar cells?

To validate the industrial compatibility of TSRR structure, we further prepared textured TSRR wafers and performed some key manufacturing processes for mass production of silicon solar cells based on 182 × 182 mm 2 pseudo-square wafers with an original thickness of 150 μm which are generally used in industry.

Can thin silicon be used to prepare ultrathin silicon wafers?

In this contribution, we present a thin silicon with reinforced ring (TSRR) structure at the edge region, which can be used to prepare ultrathin silicon wafers with a large area and provide support throughout the solar cell preparation process to reduce the breakage rate.