Method of purifying a crystalline silicon substrate and process for producing a photovoltaic cell

• Main Authors: ENJALBERT NICOLAS, MONNA REMI, DUBOIS SEBASTIEN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 14.08.2012
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMISTRY; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION ORPROCESSING OF GOODS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE

The invention relates to a method of purifying a crystalline silicon substrate and to a process for producing a photovoltaic cell. The method of purifying a crystalline silicon substrate according to the invention is of the type that includes a step of extracting impurities by external gettering and which includes, before said step of extracting the impurities by external gettering, at least one step of rapidly annealing the substrate at a temperature of between 750° C. and 1000° C. inclusive for a time of between 1 second and 10 minutes inclusive. The invention is particularly applicable in the photovoltaic cell field.