LAB REPORT -PART A

SUBMITTED BY

Kanvasree Vuyyuru(C2084903)

MSc Wireless and Microwave Communication Engineering

Course: ENT871-2021

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY, UNITED KINGDOM

(CF10 3AT)
Solar cell-poly-si
ABSTRACT:
Energy from the sun is the most abundant and absolutely freely available energy on the planet.so in
order to utilize this energy, we need help from the second most abundant element on the earth,
nothing but SAND.in this report I am going to provide a brief section of most interesting material
poly-si, which is highly efficient in solar cell. poly crystalline silicon is the first-generation cell that
are commercially predominant in the solar cell pv technology, which is universally available and
extremely less in cost. The following sections cover the fabrication, material, wafer production and
pros and cons include the discussion of our topic.
INTRODUCTION:
Sun oriented cell is designed by Charles Fritts in 1883.It was the 1 st generation solar cell which is
covered by a semiconductor selenium with a dainty layer of gold to shape the junction.in the most
recent twenty years the dissemination of sun powered energy supply had developed essentially.
Presently we will contribute the material poly-si, as we referenced which is exceptionally effective in
solar cell [1].
Poly-si or polycrystalline silicon are additionally named as polysilicon or mutli-si or multi glass like
silicon. since sand is the best bountiful component in soil, the sand has changed over to 99.99%
unadulterated silicon crystals to use in solar cells. To accomplish these, the sand should go through an
intricate sanitization measure called SIEMENS PROCESS. likewise, this cycle includes refining of
unstable silicon compounds. Going to the subject,
HOW IS RAW SILICON MADE?

MATERIAL:
The polycrystalline silicon panels are lighter in blue in colour and are made of mixed crystals (fig 2).
At the point when the numerous silicon precious stones are cooled, they make a fragmentary multi-
directional example. Even though when the light warms the board, it gives off an impression of being
shiny.[4] Notwithstanding, with ongoing upgrades underway, poly silicon's are significantly less
glossy. when it comes to the production of it, polycrystalline silicon’s are produced from
metallurgical grade silicon, which is recognised a chemical element, with the symbol ‘Si’ and with the
atomic number ‘14’.
Additionally, when we investigate the construction of the silicon molecules, we can see they are
fortified together. For sake poly has for some time been utilized as the leading entryway material in
MOSFET and Cmos handling innovations. For these advancements it is stored utilizing low-pressure
chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) reactors at high temperatures and is typically intensely doped in
n-type and p-type.
Some hypothetical material properties are:
Atomic weight contains 28.08, with shimmering appearance, Melting point is at 1414 Degree C and
Boiling point at 2900 Degree C, Density at 2330 kg/m3 and Specific Heat contains 0.168
Cal/g/k@25Degrees C.
With regards to effectiveness of this material, polycrystalline boards used to be less proficient 10 or
even 5 years prior. However, they would now be able to change over 15% of solar cell energy into
power. This has been accomplished by expanding the light assimilation and lessening the
recombination misfortunes at the surface and upgrading the doping of various layers [2].
WAFER:
Since poly silicon is the original cells, they are additionally called Wafer based cells. Initially, sun-
oriented boards are produced using round wafers (fig 3). However, with regards to SPACE, there is a
ton of WASTE between them.so to cut the waste space, researchers concocted another method of
making solar cell boards utilizing silicon sections and that prompted the development of

polycrystalline

Fig 3(round wafer solar cells) Fig 4

By the following images, we can clearly absorb, how the wafers are cut from the round shape, to
reduce the waste space between them.
Wafer Manufacturing Process:
How do wafers are manufactured? The answer is sewing, even sewing step is the disadvantage of
waste in a significant fraction of the silicon as a curve loss.it is usually determined by the thickness of
the wire or saw used for sewing and is in the order of 100 microns of silicon. But this is the large
fraction of the ingot, so silicon wafers used in a solar cell now a days are in order of 150 or up to 200
microns. sewing is logically damaging the surface of the wafer, so this processing step is followed by
a polishing step
The 3 Main various sorts of silicon wafer types change diverse qualities.in this the polycrystalline
wafer comprises of little grains of mono-silicon.so wafer convey after the consummation of siemens
process.tn this the block formed silicon ingots are made straightforwardly by projecting liquid
polysilicon, which then they are reshaped and changed over into exceptionally slight cuts called
SILICON WAFERS.
NOTE: The silicon wafers are the Heart of photovoltaic (PV) cell.

OVERVIEW(WAFER):

MANUFACTURING:
The fabrication of polycrystalline silicon contains the abundance, stability and low toxicity of the
silicon, which that combined with the low cost of the material that relative to the single crystals that
makes the variety of the material attractive for photo voltaic (PV) production.
Also, the grain size had been shown, to influence the efficiency of polysilicon solar cells.
The main term is that why the polysilicon is made in this way?
At first as we mentioned in manufacturing of wafers, solar panels are made from round wafers at first.
But to reduce the waste space between the cells, researcher considered another method of making
solar cells boards utilizing the pieces which is shows up from the silicon. That prompted the
development of our point, polycrystalline silicon. additionally, these are quite possibly the most
accessible boards and cost amicable boards in the result.
PROCESS: the purified silicon crystals are melted in a large container for 20 hours and slowly
cooled over 3 days. These large block of purified silicon ingots are reshaped and the cut down into
very thin slices so called silicon wafers. This process is called siemens process and we will go into
detailed explanation of it in the siemens process.
Manufacturing of Silicon:
The crude material of most solar based cells today is
glasslike silicon, and it plays the fundamental hotspot
for polysilicon, fortunately silicon is quite possibly the
most generally utilized accessible components as
SAND. Before silicon is made into flimsy wafers it
should be cleaned. something else, the photograph
impact will not be effective. immaculateness levels for
solar cells do not need to be pretty much as high as in
chip application.

SIEMENS PROCESS:
The siemens process coverts MG Si to SIHCL 3 and then to silicon in a reactor, thus removing
transition metals and deport impurities. This process is relatively expensive and slow.
This process categorizes manufacturing in 3 different purity levels, the 3 main steps to produce high-
purity polycrystalline are as follows.
1. Coke reduction
2. Distillation
3. Siemen’s process

Coke reduction: the polysilicon is produced by the source material that is by 98.5% metallurgical
silicon. This is one exposed in a reactor with hydrogen chloride at elevated temperatures in presence
of a catalyst.
Distillation: the silicon reacts with a hydrogen chloride and starts to form Trichlorosilane. this is a
molecule that contains on silicon atom, three chloride atoms and one hydrogen atom. The
Trichlorosilane gas is cooled and liquified impurities with higher or lower boiling points are then
removes using distillation.
The purified trichlorosilane is vapourised again in different reactor with hydrogen gas.
Trichlorosilane with the hot rods, which are at high temperatures of 850 or up to 1500 degree Celsius.
The silicon atoms are deposited on the rod whereas the chloride and hydrogen atoms are dissolved
from the surface of the rod back with gas phase. As a result, a pure silicon material is grown, and the
deposition method is called chemical vaporization as the exposed gas still contains lower silence and
hydrogen. But these gases are required and used again.
Siemens’s process: The hydrogen goes to clean up the process and it recycled back into the reactor.so
this is the chemical vapour deposition furnace that leads to polysilicon and so called siemens process.
Also, this process consumes lot of energy.
Application:
Polysilicon incudes both p-type and n-type. These silicon-based photovoltaic cells are fabricated from
appositively charged on n and p-type silicon layer underneath a negatively charges or n-type silicon
layer these layers can be produced from casted poly crystalline silicon material. Here those are sold
under the group of solar energy.
When it comes to technology, there is a new change that comes over solar cells (poly, mono, etc.,) the
creation of new technology id ‘flexible panels. Now we are using the most used ‘traditional panels ‘of
poly-si.so when we compared to the flexible and traditional panels flexible are not as good as
traditional.

 Most silicon-based PV solar cells are produced from polysilicon.

 Polysilicon is generally, immediately available in most volumes.
 Linear formulae are Si.
 When in manufacturing process, poly generate little amount of waste and more sustainable.
ADVANTAGES:
1. Poly solar panels are perfectly shaped as a square.
2. No space wastage as other silicon like mono.
3. Also, the efficiency is typically identical these days.
4. Polysilicon panels are solid and cheaper to buy.
5. Its temperatures coefficient is better than that of mono-si.
6. Polysilicon is extremely durable.
7. Manufacturing process for polycrystalline silicon are fast.
DISADVANTAGES:
1. The biggest advantage that points out in the polycrystalline silicon are standard process as
mentioned in a siemens reactor, which is awfully expensive.
DISCUSSION:
When it comes to discussion, I would like to compare polycrystalline silicon with one more important
monocrystalline silicon. Firstly, we are going to compare both the silicon’s in term of efficiency.
Related to the efficiency is their output to compare .in general take a reenergize monocrystalline panel
and a rich solar polysilicon panel from any one of the online stores(general)
Properties of both panels:

NAME POLY-Si MONO-Si

Energy panel 26.8*20.5*1.2 inches 23.7*19.6*1.2 inches
Weight 12.4 pounds 8.8 pounds
No of cells 36 33
Power 50 watts 50 watts
Efficiency 13.4% 21%
Comparing both the panel requirements by making an experiment:
Case 1: presently, we will quantify the yield indirectly by joining both solar cell boards had mc4
connectors .so by associating augmentation links that additionally had mc4 connectors on the end and
exposed aluminium wire on the opposite end. Additionally, utilize the extra link that with battery slips
on the end and exposed copper on the opposite side. at last, wrap the dark copper wire to a multi
meter drives, subsequently it was not ideal, however this strategy give us a predictable perusing.

By lifting the two boards in the sun for 30 min to heat up. And afterward test the voltage. Presently
perusing is, mono had a consistent perusing of 19.24 volts, when it was laid level on the ground.
notwithstanding, when it was begun fliting, the board, it very well may be opposite to the suns beams
and went to 19.5 volts.at a specific point the board was not, at this point opposite to the sun and the
readings returned down.

Presently test the poly, when it was set out the perusing was20.03 volts and when it goes opposite to
the suns beams then it arrived at limit of 20.31.
Reason is that poly boards had an additional line of solar cells which is a day and a half absolute
contrasted with the 33 cells that mono-si had.
COST COMPARISON:
Because of the greater assembling power mono-si are more costly than poly-si. presently it isn't only
the forthright expense that you will require all the more poly-si boards to create the sae yield as mono-
si.at the finish of this conversation whole poly-si framework may be a similar expense as the mono-si
despite the fact that these boards are less expensive [1].

Polycrystalline silicon Monocrystalline silicon

Less in cost High compared to poly
Takes less time Takes more time
More efficient Less efficient

REFERENCES:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycrystalline_silicon
[2] Merabet, S. and Birouk, B., 2017. Study of the effect of experimental conditions on polysilicon
solar cells. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 42(48), pp.29026-29032.
[3] Park, HyunJung, Soohyun Bae, Se Jin Park, Ji Yeon Hyun, Chang Hyun Lee, Dongjin Choi,
Dongkyun Kang et al. "Role of polysilicon in poly-Si/SiOx passivating contacts for high-efficiency
silicon solar cells." RSC advances 9, no. 40 (2019): 23261-23266.

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHSL_6sG5ZE&t=317s