Transfer of monocrystalline Si films for thin film solar cells

Abstract

Monocrystalline silicon is an excellent material for photovoltaic applications. Until recently, it was considered to be unsuitable for the next generation of thin film solar cells since no cost effective ways of producing thin, monocrystalline silicon layers were known. However, the last few years have seen the development of a number of new techniques which allow the detachment of silicon films from a single crystal substrate. These new approaches promise higher cell efficiencies than appear to be possible with more traditional thin film polycrystalline silicon solar cells at a similar cost. This paper reviews the layer transfer approaches currently under investigation and briefly discusses some of the issues that need to be addressed for commercial production.