In:
Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Wiley, Vol. 20, No. 2 ( 2012-03), p. 217-225
Abstract:
Using synchrotron‐based analytical microprobe techniques, we determine micrometer‐scale elemental composition, spatial distribution, and oxidation state of impurities in raw feedstock materials used in the photovoltaic industry. Investigated Si‐bearing compounds are pegmatitic quartz, hydrothermal quartz, and quartzite. Micrometer‐scale clusters containing Fe, Ti, and/or Ca are frequently observed at structural defects in oxidized states and in bulk concentrations equivalent to inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy measurements. Investigated C‐bearing compounds are pine wood, pine charcoal, and eucalyptus charcoal. Clustered metals are observed only in the charcoal samples. Impurity clustering implies that industrial processing could be adapted to take advantage of this “natural gettering” phenomenon, expanding the usable range of raw feedstock materials to dirtier, cheaper, and more abundant ones, currently underexploited for solar‐grade silicon production. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1062-7995
,
1099-159X
Language:
English
Publisher:
Wiley
Publication Date:
2012
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2023295-0
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