NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

20040111153 BP Solar, Frederick, MD, USA
Large-Scale PV Module Manufacturing Using Ultra-Thin Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells. Annual Subcontract
Report 1 April 2002-30 September 2003
Wohlgemuth, J.; Shea, S. P.; Feb. 2004; In English
Report No.(s): DE2004-15007017; NREL/SR-520-35887; No Copyright; Avail: National Technical Information Service
(NTIS)
The goal of BP Solar’s Crystalline PVMaT program is to improve the present polycrystalline silicon manufacturing
facility to reduce cost, improve efficiency, and increase production capacity. Key components of the program are: increasing
ingot size; improving ingot material quality; improving material handling; developing wire saws to slice 100 ..mu..m thick
silicon wafers on 200 ..mu..m centers; developing equipment for demounting and subsequent handling of very thin silicon
wafers; developing cell processes using 100 ..mu..m thick silicon wafers that produce encapsulated cells with efficiencies of
at least 15.4% at an overall yield exceeding 95%; expanding existing in-line manufacturing data reporting systems to provide
active process control; establishing a 50 MW (annual nominal capacity) green-field Mega plant factory model template based
on this new thin polycrystalline silicon technology; and facilitating an increase in the silicon feedstock industry’s production
capacity for lower-cost solar-grade silicon feedstock.
NTIS
Polycrystals; Solar Cells
20040111166 Siemens Solar Industries, Camarillo, CA, USA
Commercialization of CIS-Based Thin-Film PV. Final Technical Report August 1998-November 2001
Tarrant, D. E.; Gay, R. R.; Sep. 2002; In English
Report No.(s): DE2004-15000973; No Copyright; Avail: National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
report describes the primary objectives of this subcontract, which are to scale up substrate size and to scale up production
capacity of the baseline Siemens Solar Industries (SSI) CIS-based module process while introducing CIS-based products. The
primary goals are to scale the substrate size from about 900 cm2 (1 sq ft) to approximately 4000 cm2 by the middle of Phase
II, and to achieve pilot production rates of 500 kW per year by the end of Phase III. Deliverables for the subcontract include
CIS-based products and representative modules delivered to the NREL Module Testing Team for outdoor testing and
evaluation. SSI will continue mid-term and longer-term thin-film R&D with the goals of: Assuring future product
competitiveness; Improving module performance; Reducing cost per watt; and Assuring product reliability. Remaining R&D
challenges are to scale the processes to even larger areas, to reach higher production capacity, to demonstrate in-service
durability over even longer times, and to advance the fundamental understanding of CIS-based materials and devices with the
goal of further efficiency improvements for future products. SSI’s thin-film CIS technology is poised to make very significant
contributions to the DOE/NREL/NCPV long-term goal of higher-volume, lower-cost commercial products.
NTIS
Thin Films; Commercialization; Photovoltaic Cells; Reliability; Substrates
20040111170 California Univ., Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., Berkeley, CA, USA
Electrochemical Studies of the LiFePO4 Thin Films prepared with Pulsed Laser Deposition
Song, S. W.; Reade, R. P.; Striebel, K. A.; 2004; 12 pp.; In English
Report No.(s): DE2004-822962; No Copyright; Avail: Department of Energy Information Bridge
Thin films of LiFePO4 have been prepared on stainless steel substrates with pulsed laser deposition utilizing an Ar
atmosphere. Films were characterized with XRD, SEM, Raman spectroscopy and electrochemistry in liquid electrolyte.
Raman spectral analysis revealed the presence of carbon in the films, even though the targets contained less than a few percent
residual carbon. The Raman spectra also suggest the presence of various iron oxide species on the surface of the film. The
75nm film showed reversible cycling of more than 90 mAh/g for 60 cycles and a coulombic efficiency close to 1. Variable
sweep rate cyclic voltammetry showed a diffusion-controlled reaction with an effective diffusivity of about 10-12 sq cm/s. The
performance of the thicker film was poor with a coulombic efficiency much less than 1.
NTIS
Electrochemistry; Thin Films; Lithium Alloys; Stainless Steels; Phosphorus Oxides
20040111466 South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD
Investigation of Ultrafast Condensed Phase Reactions Between Nanopowders
Puszynski, Jan A.; May 2004; 55 pp.; In English; Original contains color illustrations
Contract(s)/Grant(s): DAAD19-02-1-0456
Report No.(s): AD-A425387; ARO-44550.1-EG; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A04, Hardcopy
143