Optimization and modeling of photovoltaic silicon crystallization processes

Crystal growth can significantly contribute to achieve the ambitious goal of generating more than 10% of the worldwide energy production by photovoltaic systems within the next 10 years. This requires that, crystal material will become available within the near future which increases the solar cell efficiency considerably at reduced material expenses. This article gives a tutorial introduction into the relation of the properties of photovoltaic silicon (mono- and multi-crystalline) which are relevant for the solar cell performance and the crystallization conditions. It is shown how crystallization processes can be optimized by the aid of numerical modeling in order to get improved crystal properties and lower process expenses.