The coming of age of a new PV wafer technology-some aspects of EFG polycrystalline silicon sheet manufacture

The authors trace the pioneering research and development experiences over the past 25 years which have led to a full scale manufacturing line for photovoltaic modules utilizing polycrystalline silicon wafers produced by the edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG) technique. They examine the progress made in two core areas in detail-crystal growth productivity and wafer bulk quality-which have justified the recent scale up of EFG technology at ASE Americas to the multi-megawatt level. They identify areas in which future advances will enable a crystalline silicon-based EFG technology to compete with cost targets anticipated for the photovoltaics marketplace beyond the year 2000.