Make A Silicon Solar Cell

However it is interesting to see how a bare silicon wafer becomes a solar cell.

Make a silicon solar cell.

The products are carbon dioxide and molten silicon. We will admit that it is unlikely you have enough gear in your basement to make a solar cell using these steps. To understand this better let s see the different types of semiconductor material as the materials extensively used in the production of solar cells are semiconductors. Individual solar cell devices are often the.

Second generation solar cell technology consists of what s known as thin film solar cells. Crystalline silicon cells are further categorized as either monocrystalline silicon cells that offer high efficiencies 13 19 but are more difficult to manufacture or polycrystalline also called multicrystalline silicon cells that have lower. For example single crystal silicon isn t the only material used in pv cells. Polycrystalline silicon is used in an attempt to cut man ufacturing costs although the resulting cells aren t as efficient as single crystal silicon.

These homemade solar cells are just meant to demonstrate how a solar cell can convert solar energy into electricity. Solar cells are made basically from semiconductors like silicon and selenium being the most widely used. A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect which is a physical and chemical phenomenon. It is a form of photoelectric cell defined as a device whose electrical characteristics such as current voltage or resistance vary when exposed to light.

At this point the silicon is still not pure enough to be used for solor cells and. Keep in mind that commercial solar panels use silicon for the solar cells so the ones you make in this experiment are not the same as commercial grade cells. The majority of residential solar modules consist of pv cells made from either crystalline silicon cells or thin film semiconductor material.