Method and apparatus for producing polycrystalline, large surface-area silicon crystal bodies for solar cells

摘要

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing silicon crystal bodies (9) for solar cells, wherein molten silicon (1) is fed in the form of free-falling molten drops (5) to a support member (7) consisting of a netting-like graphite fabric, and the silicon is melted into the meshes of the netting (7) and caused to crystallise. The support member (7) is moved within a guide channel (8) which extends in the horizontal direction, the upper limitation of the guide channel (8) being a baffle plate (6) which is provided with bored holes (10). By the method and apparatus in accordance with the teaching of the invention, meshes of a netting of 10 x 10 mm<2> can easily be filled with silicon. This results in low manufacturing costs and high crystal quality. The method serves for the continuous production of silicon tapes for solar cells. <IMAGE>