Solar grade silicon as a potential candidate material for low-cost terrestrial solar cells

Abstract The present status of conventional and advanced silicon production processes is examined in order to discuss their suitability as sources of low cost silicon feed stocks for photovoltaic application. Conclusions of this discussion support the view that only methods based on advanced Siemens technology and upgrading metallurgical silicon seem practical candidates for producing silicon feed stocks for solar use, albeit upgraded MG silicon needs some yet ill-defined intermediate purification step to be transformed to a solar grade material.

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