product news ♦ Solar
contracts were all signed in recent weeks and follow announcements that First Solar is planning to add manufacturing capacity in Germany and France in order to better meet local demand and to encourage the development of the market for utility-scale solar electricity.
Spire claims CPV record
Spire Semiconductor produces a world-record 42.3% efficient CPV cell
Spire Semiconductor, LLC, a subsidiary of Spire Corporation has produced a world record efficiency concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar cell. The 0.97cm2 cell was measured by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to have a peak efficiency of 42.3% at 406 suns AM1.5D, 25C (42.2% at 500 suns).
measurements. Their continued support enabled us to validate our new bi-facial cell architecture. This higher efficiency, next generation GaAs CPV cell platform is now available commercially to the concentrator systems providers.”
Roger G. Little, Chairman and CEO of Spire Corporation, said, “We are pleased to reach the record high CPV cell efficiency. The availability of this new high-efficiency cell will advance next- generation CPV system performance and reduce system cost for manufacturers, helping to move solar energy ever closer to the goal of grid parity.”
PLANSEE offers MoNa sputtering targets
Sodium (Na) is an important factor for the efficiency of CIS/CIGS solar cells. Sodium doped molybdenum layers can easily be integrated into the existing solar cell production process and guarantee stable and reproducible results.
In CIS/CIGS solar cells the soda-lime glass substrate often functions as the sodium source from which the material diffuses through the molybdenum back contact into the absorber layer. Since this process is difficult to control and does not guarantee a homogenous sodium distribution, many producers use different sodium sources. They apply Na by means of an additional layer or deposit it together with the absorber materials. Both methods are complex and highly prone to error.
Edward D. Gagnon, General Manager of Spire Semiconductor, LLC, stated, “In early 2009, Spire Semiconductor was awarded an NREL Photovoltaic (PV) Incubator subcontract to develop a high efficiency triple junction, gallium arsenide (GaAs) cell. In less than 18 months, we were able to validate and incorporate our new concept into a production-ready cell design with world-record efficiency. This is a remarkable achievement by our technical team. NREL has been extremely helpful during the entire program, with timely responses to our confirmation requests for accurate efficiency
Solar cell producers now have an easy alternative at hand: By sputtering a layer of sodium doped molybdenum, the amount of sodium in the absorber layer can exactly be controlled and reproduced. For this standard process in the CIS/CIGS production route, PLANSEE, a manufacturer of thin-film materials, offers MoNa sputtering targets with full density, high purity and a uniform and fine grained microstructure. Tests in cooperation with the Swiss EMPA institute have already proven their benefits in practice: With Na doped molybdenum layers the efficiency of CIGS solar cells could be significantly improved. For more information on PLANSEE’s thin-film materials for CIS/CIGS and CdTe solar cells please go to
www.plansee.com or contact
coating@plansee.com.
November/December 2010
www.compoundsemiconductor.net 209
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