DEVELOPMENT OF A FURNACE TO FABRICATE SILICON SOLAR CELLS

Abstract

Solar cell world market had an exponential growth in the last decade and nowadays it continues in expansion. To produce solar cells, dopants need to be introduced into the crystalline silicon wafer in order to form the pn junction. This process is carried out in diffusion furnaces. The aim of this paper is to present the development of a compact diffusion furnace to process up to 156 mm × 156 mm silicon wafers and to operate at temperature up to 1100°C. The furnace is automated and it is constituted by a heating system with three zones and systems to introduce the wafers inside the furnace as well as to control of gas flows. This equipment is the first one developed in Brazil to promote impurity diffusions in order to produce silicon solar cells and it was manufactured jointly with a Brazilian company.

Keywords

• Solar energy; Furnace; Solar cell.