Seminar on Thin-Silicon, Low-Cost Solar Photovoltaic Modules Using Kerfless Epitaxial Silicon Lift-off Technology

Seminar Announcement

Thin-Silicon, Low-Cost Solar Photovoltaic Modules Using Kerfless Epitaxial Silicon Lift-off Technology

Mehrdad Moslehi, Ph.D., Founder, Executive Chairman, & CTO
Solexel
Date: Nov. 14 (Today)
Time: 4:15pm
Venue: CIS-X 101

This seminar presents an overview of the crystalline silicon solar PV technology and the overall PV market, with special emphasis on Solexel's thin-silicon, high-efficiency, low-cost PV solution based on its Kerfless epitaxial silicon lift-off technology. Solexel has developed a disruptive technology that eliminates the performance vs. cost trade-off that is common for the currently available crystalline silicon and thin-film solar PV technologies. Instead of using the high-cost, energy-intensive polysilicon-ingot-wafering process sequence, we grow our thin cell substrates directly from an inexpensive silicon source gas using silicon epitaxy on reusable templates with porous silicon seed and release layers. Since we form our thin silicon cell substrates using epitaxial growth, we engineer the monocrystalline silicon substrate properties, such as doping profile, in situ and during the epitaxial growth process, hence enabling advanced device architectures. The use of significantly less silicon, combined with much lower energy usage and industry-low capital expenditure, delivers a manufacturing cost and LCOE roadmap well below the lowest-cost crystalline-silicon and thin-film solar modules. Our unique cell design, process integration architecture, and integrated electronics enable superior efficiency and energy yield performance compared to the mainstream crystalline-silicon PV. We have established a fully operational pilot fab where we produce large-area (156 mm x 156 mm ) thin mono-crystalline solar cells and prototype quantity modules, on production tools that are representative of the high-volume tools used in mass production.

Bio
Mehrdad is the Founder, Executive Chairman, and CTO of Solexel. After completing his undergraduate studies in Electrical Engineering at Sharif University of Technology, he received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. His professional experience includes Texas Instruments and start-ups in the semiconductor and solar industries. He has been recognized as a Prolific Inventor by the USPTO and Texas Instruments. Mehrdad is a Fellow of the IEEE.

Please dont miss the exciting guest lecture by Dr. Mehrdad Moslehi today. After 5 years of being in stealth Solexel finally announced their technology and their stuff was highlight of Intersolar conference this year.