Assembly of silicon solar cell experimental device

Why are silicon-based solar cells used in the photovoltaic (PV) industry?

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Over the past few decades, silicon-based solar cells have been used in the photovoltaic (PV) industry because of the abundance of silicon material and the mature fabrication process.

Are flexible solar cells with silicon based manufacturing technologies possible?

However, new technologies have emerged for flexible solar cells with silicon. In this paper, we describe the basic energy-conversion mechanism from light and introduce various silicon-based manufacturing technologies for flexible solar cells.

Why were silicon PV modules chosen?

Silicon PV modules were chosen because the production of silicon-based solar cells was 90% of all solar cells produced globally in 2008 . This production share may have been achieved because Silicon, being the second most abundantly available element on earth , has been used as the primary feedstock.

What are silicon-based solar cells?

However, as more electrical devices with wearable and portable functions are required, silicon-based PV solar cells have been developed to create solar cells that are flexible, lightweight, and thin.

How are bulk properties of silicon solar cells controlled?

The bulk properties of silicon solar cells are controlled by selecting a material that has the appropriate bandgap, selectively doping it to allow smooth movement of carriers without causing any undesirable recombination and reducing avoidable losses such as reflection or high sheet resistance as well as low carrier mobility.

When was crystalline silicon used for solar cells?

Flexible Thin-Film c-Si Solar Cells At the beginning of the PV era in the mid-1970s, crystalline silicon (c-Si) was used for solar cells, because it was an available abundant material that was relatively low cost, had a high carrier mobility, and could use well-established processing techniques .