Horizontal Ribbon Growth of Single-Crystal Silicon

单晶硅的水平带生长

基本信息

批准号：
1762802
负责人：
Brian Helenbrook
金额：
$ 51.35万
依托单位：
Clarkson University
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2018
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2018-09-01 至 2022-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1762802&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Horizontal Ribbon Growth Single Crystal

项目摘要

The manufacture of high efficiency solar cells to convert solar energy to electrical energy currently makes use of a process known as the Czochralski growth process to fabricate high quality silicon wafers. A lower-cost, more efficient manufacturing approach for manufacturing these high quality single-crystal silicon wafers, called horizontal ribbon growth, has been developed. Compared to Czochralski growth, horizontal ribbon growth has the potential to produce thinner and larger wafers at a faster rate and a lower cost, with up to 75% potential cost savings. Commercialization of the horizontal ribbon growth process has been difficult, however, due to a lack of fundamental understanding of the physics that control this process. This award supports research that will contribute new knowledge related to a novel process for manufacturing single-crystal silicon wafers called horizontal ribbon growth. There are currently no models of the process that predict all of the phenomena observed in horizontal ribbon growth experiments. Most importantly, the maximum growth rates attainable have yet to be predicted. The goal of this work is to develop a model of the process that can predict the experimentally observed phenomena including the maximum growth rates. This model will then be used optimize the process so that it can be successfully commercialized. This has the potential to promote the development of new U.S. industries and to bring down the cost of solar energy to the point that solar energy would be cheaper than any other energy source. In addition, this research will contribute to work force training in the areas of fluid mechanics, thermal engineering, and materials science as well as broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in engineering research.There are currently no models that can accurately predict the horizontal ribbon growth process, and there are many experimental phenomena that occur that are unexplained. Developing a predictive model will give a greater understanding of the process, which will reduce the time and costs needed for commercialization. Because horizontal ribbon growth is not well-understood or studied, there is also an opportunity to make significant fundamental advances in our understanding of solidification kinetics. Studies at molecular to continuum scales will be used to understand and develop predictive models of the processes occurring. This understanding will then be applied to optimize the process and could also lead improvements in other crystal manufacturing processes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

当前，高效太阳能电池将太阳能转换为电能的高效太阳能电池正在利用一种称为Czochralski生长过程的过程来制造高质量的硅晶片。已经开发了一种制造这些高质量的单晶硅晶片的较低成本，更高效的制造方法，称为水平色带生长。与Czochralski的增长相比，水平色带的生长具有更快的速度和更低的成本，可节省75％的潜在成本。但是，由于对控制该过程的物理学的基本了解，水平色带生长过程的商业化非常困难。该奖项支持研究，该研究将为新知识提供与制造单晶硅晶片的新知识相关的新知识，称为水平色带生长。当前，该过程的模型尚无预测水平色带生长实验中观察到的所有现象。最重要的是，可实现的最高增长率尚未预测。这项工作的目的是开发一个过程的模型，该模型可以预测实验观察到的现象，包括最大生长速率。然后将使用此模型来优化该过程，以便可以成功商业化。这有可能促进美国新工业的发展，并将太阳能的成本降低到太阳能比任何其他能源都更便宜的地步。此外，这项研究将有助于流体力学，热工程学和材料科学领域的劳动力培训，并扩大了代表性不足的群体在工程研究中的参与。开发一个预测模型将对过程有更深入的了解，这将减少商业化所需的时间和成本。由于水平色带的生长没有得到充分理解或研究，因此在我们对凝固动力学的理解方面也有一个重大进步的机会。分子至连续体量表的研究将用于理解和开发发生过程的预测模型。然后，将采用这种理解来优化该过程，还可以领导其他水晶制造过程的改进。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并认为使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估标准，认为值得通过评估来提供支持。