Photovoltaics

Photovoltaic solar energy represents one of the main components of future sustainable energy scenarios. With high average growth rates of at least 40% p.a. over the last 5 years, and decreasing cost, photovoltaics is expected to become a big business line this century. It is mainly served by (multi-)crystalline silicon. In this context, the Research and Development activities in Germany and the respective states have attained a new intensity and direction. A necessary prerequisite for the further market growth is the development of production processes for increased efficiency and lower cost. Our Institute of Semiconductor Electronics contributes to this field since mid-1998 with several projects on the development of innovative process technologies for the fabrication of photovoltaic devices based on multicrystalline silicon wafers (see design and process optimization). Additionally, we work on new concepts combining multicrystalline silicon wafer technology with thin film emitters, called heterojunction solar cells (see project hetero solar cells) and on totally new concepts for solar cells based on the fusion of nanotechnology and photovoltaics (see photonmanagment and band gap engineering).

Contact: