High-efficiency silicon solar-cell design and practical barriers

A numerical evaluation technique is used to study the impact of practical barriers, such as heavy doping effects (Auger recombination, band gap narrowing), surface recombination, shadowing losses and minority-carrier lifetime (Tau), on a high efficiency silicon solar cell performance. Considering a high Tau of 1 ms, efficiency of a silicon solar cell of the hypothetical case is estimated to be around 29%. This is comparable with (detailed balance limit) maximum efficiency of a p-n junction solar cell of 30%. Value of Tau is varied from 1 second to 20 micro. Heavy doping effects, and realizable values of surface recombination velocities and shadowing, are then considered in succession and their influence on cell efficiency is evaluated and quantified. These practical barriers cause the cell efficiency to reduce from the maximum value of 29% to the experimentally achieved value of about 19%. Improvement in open circuit voltage V sub oc is required to achieve cell efficiency greater than 20%. Increased value of Tau reduces reverse saturation current and, hence, improves V sub oc. Control of surface recombination losses becomes critical at higher V sub oc. Substantial improvement in Tau and considerable reduction in surface recombination velocities is essential to achieve cell efficiencies greater than 20%

Sensitivity analysis of add-on price estimate for select silicon wafering technologies

The cost of producing wafers from silicon ingots is a major component of the add-on price of silicon sheet. Economic analyses of the add-on price estimates and their sensitivity internal-diameter (ID) sawing, multiblade slurry (MBS) sawing and fixed-abrasive slicing technique (FAST) are presented. Interim price estimation guidelines (IPEG) are used for estimating a process add-on price. Sensitivity analysis of price is performed with respect to cost parameters such as equipment, space, direct labor, materials (blade life) and utilities, and the production parameters such as slicing rate, slices per centimeter and process yield, using a computer program specifically developed to do sensitivity analysis with IPEG. The results aid in identifying the important cost parameters and assist in deciding the direction of technology development efforts

Price estimates for the production of wafers from silicon ingots

The status of the inside-diameter sawing, (ID), multiblade sawing (MBS), and fixed-abrasive slicing technique (FAST) processes are discussed with respect to the estimated price each process adds on to the price of the final photovoltaic module. The expected improvements in each process, based on the knowledge of the current level of technology, are projected for the next two to five years and the expected add-on prices in 1983 and 1986 are estimated

Sensitivity analysis of the add-on price estimate for the silicon web growth process

The web growth process, a silicon-sheet technology option, developed for the flat plate solar array (FSA) project, was examined. Base case data for the technical and cost parameters for the technical and commercial readiness phase of the FSA project are projected. The process add on price, using the base case data for cost parameters such as equipment, space, direct labor, materials and utilities, and the production parameters such as growth rate and run length, using a computer program developed specifically to do the sensitivity analysis with improved price estimation are analyzed. Silicon price, sheet thickness and cell efficiency are also discussed

Sensitivity analysis of the add-on price estimate for the edge-defined film-fed growth process

The analysis is in terms of cost parameters and production parameters. The cost parameters include equipment, space, direct labor, materials, and utilities. The production parameters include growth rate, process yield, and duty cycle. A computer program was developed specifically to do the sensitivity analysis

Sensitivity analysis of high-efficiency silicon solar-cell design parameters

Silicon solar cell design parameters were investigated to determine their bearing on cell efficiency. Among the parameters reviewed were: (1) bulk resistivity, (2) minority carrier lifetime cell thickness, (3) front junction depth, (4) front surface doping concentration, (5) front surface recombination velocity, and (6) back surface contact. The following were concluded: (1) there is good agreement between experimental and simulation results; (2) sheet material quality improvement is needed for high efficiency cells; (3) 20% cell of this design is feasible with 10 ms bulk lifetime material; and (4) for achieving efficiencies higher than 20% new cell designs including thin cells with light trapping and back surface field should be considered

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF LIQUISOLID COMPACTS OF LORNOXICAM

Objective: Objective of the present investigation was to enhance the solubility and dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble drug lornoxicam using liquisolid technique with comparative determination of in vitro release profile of liquisolid compacts and conventional formulation of lornoxicam. Methods: Formulation was prepared by a liquisolid technique using different drug concentration in a liquid vehicle and different carrier/coating ratio. Prepared liquisolid compact was evaluated for Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (P-XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and in vitro dissolution study. Results: The result showed that liquisolid compacts of lornoxicam displayed significantly higher drug release rate as compared to pure drug and conventional tablet prepared. The results of both DSC and X-ray crystallography indicated loss of crystallinity of the drug upon formulated into the liquisolid compact. Conclusion: Dissolution rate of the drug from liquisolid compacts was affected by changing the drug concentration and excipient ratio. The liquisolid technique appeared to be a promising approach for improving the dissolution of poorly soluble drug lornoxicam

Test of scaling theory in two dimensions in the presence of valley splitting and intervalley scattering in Si-MOSFETs

We show that once the effects of valley splitting and intervalley scattering are incorporated, renormalization group theory consistently describes the metallic phase in silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors down to the lowest accessible temperatures

Banking Finance through Self Help Groups (SHGs): A Tool For Socioeconomic Growth of Rural Area.

Poverty is a term with which many developing countries are suffering. The financial requirement is one of the basic needs of the poorer section of the society for socio-economic development.The present research paper is an attempt to study the role of Banking-Finance and Self-Help-Groups (SHGs) for the socio-economic development of poor people in rural area