Objective Objectives Even with increased volume, today's processing and equipment technology is not able to provide a manufacturing cost lower than 2 ECU/Wp. The main goal of the MENHIR programme is to demonstrate the feasibility of a 1.4 ECU/Wp manufacturing cost for cells based on large (125x100mm2), thin, multicrystalline silicon wafers. This goal shall be pursued through the demonstration of the feasibility of high volume and high speed processing in electromagnetic cold crucible continuous casting and in solar cell and module activities including handling equipment. Casting speeds ranging from 1 to 4 mm/min and solar cell and module processes able to treat one cell every one or two seconds are the main targets. Technical Approach Up to now 120 mm diameter billets with growth speeds of 1mm/min have been achieved. The development of the electromagnetic casting prototype will be pursued with a square cross section cold crucible able to deliver 125 x 125 mm2 wafers. The following points shall be addressed in detail: silicon feed, melting inside the cold crucible, control of the solid/liquid interface, control of the cooling conditions and development of numerical models coupling heat transfer and induction phenomena. Test castings will be realized at EPM-Madylam of Grenoble in collaboration with ALD vacuum technologies of Erlensee for system design, specification, and process control. Faster solar cell and module processes are to be investigated and tested by IMEC of Leuven, IES of Madrid and PHOTOWATT of Bourgoin concerning anti-reflecting surface treatments, front and back junction formation, metallic contact deposition, soldering and cell encapsulation in conjunction with reliability tests performed at ESTI of Ispra. The ECOTECH grouping of four research and analysis laboratories is in charge of cast material and cell characterisation. The selected processes will be tested, demonstrated at the pilot level and cost analysed by PHOTOWATT and SOLTECH. Expected Achievements and Exploitation The expected outputs of this project are: - Development of the EMC caster prototype and process control - Multicrystalline silicon billets to make large and thin wafers - Technical specifications of the electromagnetic caster - Faster processes on large multicrystalline silicon solar cells and module activities. - 14% to 15% conversion efficiency on 125 x 125 mm2 Industrialisation of pilot processes achieving the above targets will reduce costs for 125 x 125mm2 wafers to 1.25 ECU/Wp while reducing capital investments for a 30 Mwp plant by a factor of four. Fields of science natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrymetalloids Programme(s) FP4-NNE-JOULE C - Specific programme for research and technological development, including demonstration in the field of non-nuclear energy, 1994-1998 Topic(s) 0302 - Solar photovoltaic Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Photowatt International SA Address 33 rue saint-honoré zone industrielle champ fleuri 38300 Bourgoin-jallieu France See on map EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (7) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all ALD VACUUM TECHNOLOGIES AG Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address 12,wilhelm rohn strasse 35 63450 Hanau See on map CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE France EU contribution € 0,00 Address 1340-,rue de la piscine 1340 38402 Saint-martin-d'heres See on map Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France EU contribution € 0,00 Address 1,rue du cerf 92195 Meudon See on map Commission of the European Communities Italy EU contribution € 0,00 Address Via enrico fermi 1 21020 Ispra - varese See on map INTERUNIVERSITAIR MIKRO-ELEKTRONICA CENTRUM VZW Belgium EU contribution € 0,00 Address 75,kapeldreef 75 3001 Heverlee See on map SOLTECH NV Belgium EU contribution € 0,00 Address 60,kapeldreef 60 3001 Heverlee See on map UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID Spain EU contribution € 0,00 Address Ciudad universitaria - etsi telecomunicacion 28040 Madrid See on map
