Performance PBN is an excellent material for crucibles and evaporation boats used in producing the TFPV cells, as well as for coating graphite heating elements used for material vaporization.

In the TFPV deposition process, precursor vapors are transported from a source vessel into a deposition zone onto a heated substrate to deposit the PV layer. In some instances, solid materials are melted and vaporized from ceramic crucibles or boats to form a flux that is deposited on the heated substrate.

It is critical that the ceramic crucible or boat be dimensionally stable and chemically non-reactive to the molten source material. PBN ceramic is an excellent material because of its high corrosion resistance and non-reactivity with the source materials used in PV deposition.

MTC manufactures PBN crucibles, evaporation boats, and coated heating elements made via a chemical vapor deposited (CVD) process, which creates ultra-high purity material. The PBN material is highly anisotropic (directionally dependent) in its thermal transport and very resistant to thermal shock.

PBN is also an excellent electrical insulator. The material is stable in inert and reducing atmospheres up to 2800 degrees C, and in oxidizing atmospheres to 850 degrees C.

In solar cell production, thin film deposition offers a simpler and more cost effective alternative to using silicon wafers. Thin films use less material, and are much faster and simpler than the complex and delicate process of slicing, dicing and placing of silicon wafers.

However, cost of deposition must be reduced, and the efficiency of the resulting PV cells sufficiently increased to make solar electricity as inexpensive to generate as carbon-based methods.

Use of the PBN material in the TFPV process is considered an important innovation that will makes the goal of using solar energy to generate more of the world's electricity more attainable.

MTC - CVD is working with leading players in PV cell manufacture in USA, Europe and Asia, supplying a wide variety of components for thin film solar cells.

Related Links
Morgan Technical Ceramics
All About Solar Energy at SolarDaily.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

Tempe AZ (SPX) May 01, 2009
First Solar has announced that it will supply photovoltaic (PV) modules to Solar Shop Australia, Pty Ltd. (Solar Shop), for a 1 megawatt (MW) DC rooftop project.