Types of Silicon
Silicon or other semiconductor materials used for solar cells can be single crystalline, multicrystalline, polycrystalline or amorphous. The key difference between these materials is the degree to which the semiconductor has a regular, perfectly ordered crystal structure, and therefore semiconductor material may be classified according to the size of the crystals making up the material.
Terms for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells [Basore1994].
Section titled “Terms for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells .”Terminology for various types of crystalline silicon (c-Si).
| Descriptor | Symbol | Grain Size | Common Growth Techniques |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single crystal | sc-Si | >10cm | Czochralski (CZ) float zone (FZ) |
| Multicrystalline | mc-Si | 1mm-10cm | Cast, sheet, ribbon |
| Polycrystalline | pc-Si | 1µm-1mm | Chemical-vapour deposition |
| Microcrystalline | µc-Si | <1µm | Plasma deposition |
References
Section titled “References”- P.A. Basore, “Defining terms for crystalline silicon solar cells,” Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, vol. 2, pp. 177-179, 1994.